


The Fairy and the Ravenstag King

by Totallyottie99



Category: Hannibal (TV), Hannibal Lecter Series - All Media Types
Genre: Cannibalism, Crime Scenes, Detective, Empath Will Graham, Eventual Sex, Fae Will Graham, Fairy Court, Fluff and Smut, Found Family, Hannibal is a Cannibal, Hermit Will, Isolation, M/M, Masquerade, Murder Mystery, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Protective Hannibal Lecter, Seelie, Tags May Change, Unseelie, Wings, Winston is a good boi, fae hannibal, fairy king hannibal, fairy will graham, killer, mansion, semi inspired by the shining, touch starved, will wears a binder
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-23
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:08:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 46,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26618728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Totallyottie99/pseuds/Totallyottie99
Summary: Will has gone through his whole life hiding the fact that he is a fairy from those around him. But when he is forced by his boss to attend a masked dinner at the Lecter manor in a secluded forest, it becomes harder to hide his true nature when the small party becomes snowed in during a blizzard. The longer he stays in the manor, the harder it becomes to resist the lure of the mysterious Hannibal Lector, the sole resident of the mansion who seems fascinated with him and seems to have some dark secrets of his own… Will must work together with his boss, colleagues and Doctor Lecter when people start dropping like flies and it becomes apparent a killer is amongst them in the isolated home....
Relationships: Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter
Comments: 112
Kudos: 537





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there! Here's a new fic i'm making that I hope you guys enjoy :)  
> (This is my first 'Hannibal fic')  
> This chapter is basically the intro, future chapters won't be nearly as short as this one is. 
> 
> Please leave a comment and tell me what you think of it so far!

For as long as people could remember, the town of Wolf Trap has always been a bit… Odd. 

People would hear and see things at night that couldn’t be explained. If you wandered into the thick forest that stretched around for miles, you’d either never return or come back… changed somehow. You had to learn pretty quickly not to go outside at night, especially if you heard someone calling your name. People said the forest was inhabited by the Fae, beings created by magic instead of flesh and bone. There were stories of how back in the day, people would lead grand hunts in order to take their wings for medical uses or to sell, but no one has seen one in  
early 100 years now. They had all seemingly vanished, fleeing deep into the dangerous woods where even the most skilled hunter was too weary to tread. Many believed they had never existed in the first place, merely stories elders would tell the young and inexperienced so they wouldn’t wander.

The place was creepy, the kind of place that only people born and raised there could call home. That, or if you were on the run from somewhere else. Crime and murder was practically commonplace there nowadays.

It wasn’t all bad though, the townsfolk tended to stick together and support the families who have been affected by the strange wood. Business was prosperous and there was plenty of food imported from neighboring villages. A lot of it was thanks to the generous wealth of the Lecter's, A strange family who lived in a mansion deep in the woods. They very rarely interacted with the town and rumor had it there was only one member left…  
If you were very lucky and played your cards right, you could be invited to one of their infamous dinner parties. Gods help you if you had somehow displeased the Lecter's, shreds or your body would still be found in the woods for months after you’ve initially vanished. No one could prove it of course, but everyone knew who was responsible whenever someone went missing.

Now, In the modern day, tales of magical beings and monsters were a thing of the past, only belonging now in childrens books where such creatures were vanquished by a noble hero. But the people of Wolf trap could never really forget it's dark past, and people couldn't help but wonder what was really out there. The lights of the Lecter mansion still illuminated the woods at night, and everyone gossiped about what kind of person, or creature, could be living there...

…………………………………………………………………..

Will awoke from an especially vivid nightmare to the sounds of his phone vibrating on the nightstand. 

Winding black branches slowly melted into the usual old wooden ceiling above his bed when he slowly blinked the dream away. The usual wooden patterns helped to ground him as he shook off his night terrors and rolled into his side when his back started complaining about the pressure on it. On his side, he noticed his phone was still going off, he could feel the vibrations shake the mattress and resisted the urge to smash the small rectangle of light against the floor.

He groaned, reaching over to shut it off when he remembered the short list of people who actually had his number. A look at the screen confirmed his suspicions when he saw the name of his boss, Jack Crawford, in such glaring clarity he had to squint. It was a text telling him to come down to the ‘precinct’ (Basically Jack’s house) as soon as possible today. Will, already knowing today was going to be rough, flung his phone somewhere in the room and got up to stretch. Already cursing Jack for ‘hiring’ him. (In actuality, the two had met by chance, after shaking hands Will accidentally let slip that Jacks wife was dying of cancer. Later medical inspection confirmed this to Jack and they were able to catch the disease in time to save her life. The man had immediately hired him as thanks.) Taking it upon himself to make Will use his ‘Gift’ as much as he could.

Will's gift, _More like curse_ Was the ability to emphasize with anyone he came into physical contact with. Just the slightest brush of shoulders was enough to give him an inkling of the persons entire life story. Jack always saw it as a 'tool' _Ugh..._ that could be used to tell if someone committed a crime or not. _Iike he was a goddamn mind reader or something._ But it was incredibly draining for the Empath to touch people, especially those who had malicious intent. It was one of the reasons he lived to far out in the woods. 

Jack was one of the few detectives in Wolf trap who has yet to transfer to the bigger cities for more promising careers. He was a stern, well meaning man who tended to put the well being of his team in lesser importance to the safety of the townsfolk as a whole. It meant many sleepless nights trying to figure out the patterns of murders in order to come up with a profile that could satisfy Jack enough to let him go home to his reclusive home.

Will lived the life of a hermit whenever he wasn’t needed for a case. He had made a nice home for himself in a previously abandoned cabin deep in the woods where people couldn’t find him, unless he gave them specific directions of how to get there. Only three people knew where he lived, which was three more than he wanted. He didn’t want anyone coming over uninvited. Ever. It was safer that way.

You see, Will had a secret. 

A secret which was currently fluttering sleepily against his bare shoulder blades and arms as he stretched, he tended not to wear shirts when he slept since it clouds lead to cramping whenever he woke up. _That and he'd have to throw the damn shirt out afterwards._ Turning to look, he saw the tell-tale sign of powdery blue smudges already staining into his sheets due to his nightmare induced sweating in the night. Grumbling, he hurriedly flung the sheets off the bed and flung the rags into the washer before it could permanently stain. His wings tended to get powdery in the night and it always sucked to have to buy new sheets all the time. It meant he’d have to go into town again later if the stains didn't come out.

That's right, Will had wings. Powdery blue butterfly wings that could reach 11 feet out in either direction if he stretched them out, something he only tended to do when he was alone.

You see, Will was a fairy. At least, he thinks he’s one. He hasn’t met another like him since his mother, who had taught him everything he knew about how to take care of himself in secret. He hasn’t seen her since she left him with his father and ran off into the woods when he was eight. Leaving him with an uncaring man who drank himself into an early grave when Will was 17. He had lived on his own ever since, save for the rescue dogs he ended up adopting whenever he’d come across them in his walks. He had 7 of them now and loved them all like the family he never got to have. But he wasn’t lonely, he couldn’t be…

But he was, _desperately_ so. He had always longed for a true companion, a family. Someone he didn't have to hide from, someone who could accept him for who he was. Not even his father knew about his true nature. When he was younger, he often wondered what happened to his mother. Was she hunted? Did she find others like them? Where was she?

But the older he got, the less likely it seemed to ever meet her again. Let alone any others. He had been, and always will be, an outcast.

Will frowned when the familiar pang of loneliness made him rub his chest over where his heart was, snapping himself out of his reverie. No, he couldn’t let himself be lonely. If he did, it could be incredibly dangerous. He couldn’t afford to let anyone get too close and discover his secret. It was best to nip any feelings of longing in the bud before they could fester and hollow him out. But that was always easier said than done.

_At least he had his dogs..._

He had a routine he had to do every morning before he went out into the public. First, he would Gently brush any remaining powder from the night off his wings with a spare toothbrush before taking a shower to get the stains off his body until his wings were nice and smooth. Then, folding them in such a way that they neither hurt or bulged out against his back (His wings were much more flexible and durable than a butterflies, no matter how much roughhousing he’d endure they had never torn or wrinkled.) He would pin them against his body with a sleeveless torso binder before he put his normal baggy clothes on. 

When he was younger he had tried to simply tie them with a belt or sash, but it wasn’t nearly as effective and tended to be uncomfortable. Then, once that was done and he was satisfied with how they looked, he would wake his dogs from where they slept in the living room next to the hearth to do their business outside. He tended to let them roam the woods while he was out, trusting them to return by the end of the day and not to wander out too far from where it was safe. Then, after making a pathetic breakfast that was mostly coffee and a granola bar, he was ready to set out for the day. 

With a quick text to Jack to let him know he was on his way, and a last goodbye petting session to each of his dogs after filling their bowls, he started his trek down into town. 

He loved the woods, more so than anyone in town had any business doing given it’s reputation, it revitalized him and gave him enough energy to go about his day. He had never been scared by the rumors or horror stories, in fact, he was a bit relieved by them because it meant it was less likely to encounter anyone during his walks. As he said before, he had never met any magical creatures out here, but that didn’t stop him from being hopeful. Every crunching of leaves, every gentle breeze or rustling of underbrush had him snapping his head up in the hopes of seeing someone like him. When he was younger, he fantasized about meeting his mother again out here so she could take her with him. But now, in his mid twenties, those thoughts had gone on the backburner as he had to deal with more and more responsibilities in his life. 

He shivered when a cold wind seeped into his jacket from the brisk wind. It was nearing the end of fall now, the dark trees were now barren and the ground was condensed of a thick layer of dead leaves that his legs sunk deeply into. The only sound besides that was of his own ragged breathing that came out in small white puffs in the cold morning air. Absently, he eyes the foliage around him in his usual habit when his phone went off again in his pocket. Stopping momentarily, he pulled it out to see an incoming call from Jack. He frowned, knowing that if the detective was calling him yet again it meant one of two things; He was either late, or there was a body. 

_Please let me just be late._

“Will.” Jacks voice sounded stressed, which was never a good sign. Will braced himself for the onslaught.

“Jack. What is it?” 

“I… Well, I have a few things I need to talk to you about in person. Where are you?”

“I just left the house, I’ll be there shortly.”

“A few? You’re not walking again are you?” His voice, heavy with disapproval, grated on the empaths ears.

“Jack-”

“You’re crazy, you know that? Living out there is damn near suicidal. I keep telling you to move-”

“ _Jack._ ” Will practically growled into the phone at the sound of how condescending his boss was sounding, good mood immediately gone. “I’m not going anywhere, you know I don’t do well around people. Besides, I like the quiet.” Silence on the other end. “I’ll be there in a few. Bye.” He hung up before waiting for a reply, already groaning at the knowledge that by the time he gets there Jack would be fuming at his blatant disrespect. he wouldn't even need to use his 'gift' to feel his anger coming off him in waves.

He took several deep breaths, the fresh air only helping a little bit to calm him down before he felt the hair on the back of his neck prickle. He was being watched.

Spinning around fast enough to make him dizzy, he quickly scoured his surroundings. He couldn’t see anyone, but that didn’t help to assuage the weird creeping feeling that made his wings twitch nervously against his back in a quickening tempo. A nervous habit he had whenever he became too stressed. 

He nearly jumped a foot in the air when he saw a large, nearly impossibly black stag’s head turned towards him a few feet away, it blended in seemingly into the equally dark bark of the tree trunk. He let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding in what sounded like a laugh. Of course it was just a deer, what was he even expecting anymore? 

The stag hadn’t been spooked away by his sudden movement, merely twitched its ears at him as it’s reddish brown eyes observed him curiously. He smiled at it shyly. He had seen many deer out here in his travels and all of them had bolted as soon as they saw him. This one either didn’t see him as a threat or was merely curious about him. Perhaps both. 

_Damn, It's beautiful..._

“Hey there …” He spoke gently so as not to spook it. The stag huffed at him indignantly, its breath coming out in thick smoky wisps as it smelled him. He chuckled softly, it reminded him a bit of a dragon. "Haven't seen you around before. Are you new?"

It gave no indication it had understood him, merely stared with such intensity that Will started to get uncomfortable.

"Just as a heads up, don't go near my house unless you want a hoard of dogs chasing you around the rest of the day. I usually leave some birdseed and fruit over there for the other deer if you want some." He pointed vaguely to the left of the deer, which still hadn't moved. _Weird..._

He nodded at it once before turning to continue his walk, The leaves crunched loudly beneath him and he winced at how startling it was in the dead quiet woods. _Where the hell are the birds?_ He walked a bit faster than he had before the further away he got from the stag, he didn’t want to be later than he already most likely was and the stag was giving him a weird vibe. 

He didn’t hear it follow him from where it was standing its ground, but the feeling of eyes watching him didn't disappear until he reached Jack's house.


	2. Dievinu

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Dievinu= For expressing deep admiration)
> 
> I hope you guys like this new chapter, please leave a comment and tell me what you think!

When he finally arrived at Jacks suburban looking home on the outskirts of town, he was surprised to see a rather expensive looking vehicle in the driveway that he had never seen before. 

It looked to be an antique car, something european that Will didn’t have enough knowledge to put a name to (His specialty was mainly boat motors). As he made his way up the steep driveway, he noticed movement in one of the windows in the second floor. Looking up, he saw Bella, Jacks wife, looking down at him with a barely contained grin. Upon noticing she’d been spotted, she gave him a small wave that he returned fondly. After he told Jack she was sick and she started getting treatment they had quickly become something close to friends, or at least, as close as Will could safely tolerate. 

Making his way up to the door, he briefly took in one large breath of fresh air to better steel himself for the emotional onslaught that was Jack Crawford. Despite Will explaining to him many times how his empathy worked through touch, it didn’t stop him from giving him very enthusiastic handshakes or one arm hugs like they were old friends. Jack, while oftentimes stoic and brash, tended to be very affectionate with his team once they all got to know each other both on and off work. Will oftentimes found faint bruises on his arms due to the mans natural strength. He couldn’t hate him for that though, quite the opposite in fact. His empathy told him of all the mans hardships with every touch and rough clap on the back, it told him of how hard he worked to become what he was today, how deeply and truly he loved Bella… No, he could never hate him for it. 

He knocked twice before he heard the shuffling of feet behind the door. When it opened, he saw a very tired looking Jack who offered him a small smile. It was then that Will realized just how early in the day it was, the sun had only just risen when he had left the house. 

“Will, glad to see you survived the walk.” Jack greeted as he ushered him inside. Will immediately felt himself warm up due to the rather expensive heater the Crawford’s home had built in. He took off his jacket when it became too hot, slinging it over his arm as he followed Jack further into the house.

“Glad to see you too. How’s Bella?”

“Resting, she had another appointment just yesterday that exhausted her. She’s doing much better nowadays, thanks to you.” Jack’s eyes always glinted with such intense fondness whenever he spoke of his wife, it made Will unable to look at him due to how his empathy mirrored the unfamiliar feeling of love in his chest. He cleared his throat, looking to change the subject.

“Uh, what did you want to talk about so badly? Is it a new case?” Will questioned as they made their way towards the kitchen. Careful not to accidentally brush against the large man at his back when they made their way through the door. 

“Well, not exactly, You see… I need your help with something kind of important.” Jack motioned into the kitchen where, to Will’s surprise, he saw a sharply dressed man standing in the center of the room looking out the window into the woods. The man in question turned to look at them at the sound of Jacks voice with the elegance of a professional dancer, his very presence seemed to demand attention and respect which made Will suspect he was in some kind of position of power. The second the mans maroon eyes met Will’s own blue ones, he was struck with a strange sense of familiarity and dread. 

“Will, This is Doctor Hannibal Lecter. Doctor, this is Will Graham, the man I told you about.” Will’s eyes widened at the name and title. He had heard of the infamous Lecter family, but had never heard of them visiting people in town before. Will could feel himself start to clam up out of nervousness, which was never a good sign when Jack made him interact with other people, they’d often mistake his rigidness for rudeness, Jack was no different. 

“Doctor Lecter? As in THE Lecter’s?” He whispered Incredulously to Jack, who only gave him a look loaded with guilt and sympathy, the kind of look a parent would give to a child when they threw a fit for going to the doctors office. It made Will want to grind his teeth. 

The man, Doctor Lecter, watched this silent exchange with a small amused smile. His long legs practically glided along the linoleum floor towards them. He offered a hand out in greeting.

“Will Graham, it is an honor to meet you. I have heard of your talents from Jack.” Will looked at the offered hand wearily and turned away shyly, not wanting to dig into the mans life story this early in the morning. He heard a tsk of disapproval from Jack at his blatant rudeness but didn’t care enough to apologize for it. Looking up briefly at the mans face, he was surprised to see the amused expression hadn’t faltered, in fact, he seemed to be pleasantly surprised for some reason. Will quickly looked away when he felt his face grow hot at the mans intense stare, suddenly embarrassed. 

“I can only imagine what Jack told you about me. Sorry in advance.”

“It was all good things I assure you. He told me you were the one who helped discover his wife’s ailment. You have a remarkable ability.” Hannibal's voice was velvety, it had a strange soothing affect that seemed to affect Jack more than it did him when he saw his previously tense shoulders relax at the sound. Will felt his wigs twitch in response as well, causing him to tense up in his efforts to keep them still. Jack, used to Will’s strangeness, easily dismissed this as nervousness and began to talk to Hannibal about something work related much to Wills relief. He could feel the doctors curious eyes on him occasionally during the conversation but refused to interject, instead choosing to sit at one of the offered seats near the kitchen island as he merely observed the two men out of the corner of his eye. For some reason the man made him unusually wary and it didn't help that Jack didn't seem to notice it.

“If I may Mr. Graham, Has Jack told you about my request?” The empath's head jerked up at the sound of his name. He turned to look curiously at Jack before shaking his head.

“Not yet, he gave me a call earlier but didn’t tell me what exactly he needed from me.” Jack’s brow furrowed, glancing nervously at Hannibal before turning back to him. 

“Will… You’re familiar with the rumors about the Lecter’s right?” 

“...The ones about how people tend to go missing if they wander onto their estate?” Will glanced at Hannibal with a raised eyebrow. The man merely smiled and gave a silent nod. 

“Indeed, I will admit that my family has acted rather… boorish in the past. But rest assured, their rude traditions have died along with them.” The tone in the man’s voice made Will believe otherwise but chose to keep his mouth shut. The disbelief must have shown on his face given how the doctors eyes seemed to gleam at him with a secretive humor that made him feel he was in on some unknown joke. Jack cleared his throat, turning the empath's attention back to him. 

“I bring it up because, while rather exaggerated, there is some truth to the rumors.” Will felt his wings tense against this back at the feeling that something big was about to be asked of him. “Three people have gone missing this month alone by wandering into the woods, Doctor Lecter has requested our help in finding out just who is responsible.”

“Wait, you don’t know already?” Will asked Hannibal, surprise evident in his voice. Will, along with everyone else in Wolf Trap, knew that the Lecter house seemed to have uncanny knowledge about everyone in town. Whenever someone was in a bad situation or missed a payment, a letter would be sent to their home as a subtle warning that described the persons weekly activities. Given Will’s empathetic ability, he was a bit impressed, if not suspicious of it but never went out of his way to investigate in fear of being another missing person. That and Jack had strictly banned any investigation in the woods after the disappearance of Miriam lass, a trainee he had taken under his wing a few years before Will met him. It was clear how much the loss had hurt him, a pain that Will didn’t want to make worse by sticking his nose where it didn’t belong.

“I am a very busy man Mr. Graham, as much as I’d like to investigate this matter myself I simply don’t have the time. Which is why I am asking for Jack’s assistance in this matter.” Hannibal spoke with a calm demeanor, as if he had practiced this speech many times beforehand. Will wasn’t buying it, Given how the man had access to so much information, it seemed unlikely that he wouldn’t know about what went on in his own property. He was obviously lying, Will just couldn’t understand exactly why. 

A glance at Jack told him he was alone in his suspicions, his boss seemed to completely believe his story much to the empaths surprise, nodding along to what the doctor said with a strange expression, eyes glassy as if he was lost in thought. In all the years he’d known Jack, he had never fallen for such an obvious fib. 

“Right… So when do we start the investigation Jack? Or are you going to keep dancing around the subject?” The detective seemed to break out of his reverie with a shake of his head, turning back to Will with a guilty expression. What the hell has him so nervous? 

“That’s just it Will, we can’t investigate this, not openly anyway.” Will raised his eyebrow at this, silently asking him to continue. “The town is under extreme debt to the Lecter house, any investigation will lead to public backlash and put our department under the bus as you could imagine.” Hannibal stepped forward at this, offering Jack an obviously fake smile before turning to Will. His gaze was piercing and made the empath fight back the urge to flee the room. 

“Which is the reason I am inviting your team to my home as honored guests. You see, I am holding a masked party in a week for some acquaintances of mine from out of town. No one there will know you are the local law enforcement and I intend for it to stay that way. I suspect the culprit to be one of them and are using the disappearances as an excuse to sully my reputation. You will have free reign of most of the grounds and I will help you in any way I can to catch who is responsible. I only ask that you use the utmost discretion and follow the rules of my home, I will not tolerate rudeness.” 

He glanced at Jack as he spoke that last part, breaking his intense staring contest with Will to address the man. The empath slouched in relief at the momentary reprieve of the mans attention. For some reason the man seemed reluctant to take his eyes off him for even a moment. It made him nervous for a number of reasons, subtly reaching behind him to check his wings were still tucked safely away under the binder, afraid the man could see them.

Jack nodded grimly at the doctor in agreement. As much as Will suspected the detective hated the sort of people who would be at such a formal event, he knew he cared about bringing justice to the families even more than to let his pride get in the way. Will felt faint at the idea of going somewhere where he would be trapped with who knows how many people. He was easily overwhelmed by the emotions of others whenever he had to go to town for food and would need at least a day or two to recover from it. 

“Doctor Lecter, as much as I want to help you in your undercover spy mission-” Jack rolled his eyes at that. “You should know from Jack that I really don’t do well with large groups of people, let alone being stuck at a party with a bunch of strangers for who knows how long. I don’t think I’ll be that useful to you-”

“Nonsense Will. It will only be a week at most, Hannibal has offered us some of his many guest bedrooms during our stay.” Jack interrupted, placing a hand firmly on his shoulder and standing over him. Will grit his teeth at the unwanted touch, bracing himself against Jacks feelings of righteousness and moral high ground. He knew Jack was trying to manipulate him into agreeing by making him emphasize with his mindset. Shaking his hand roughly off of him, Will stood and placed a good few feet between them. He didn’t see how Hannibal's eyes had narrowed at the sight of Jack’s hands on him, nor did he see how the doctor discreetly stepped between Will and Jack, preventing the Detective from following him as he strode to the other side of the room. Jack noticed though, giving the doctor a curious glance before calling out to Will. 

“Will… you know how important it is that we bring justice to the families. The next disappearance could be prevented if you helped us catch whoever's responsible. You’re the best man for the job, you know you are.”

“Jack-” He spoke softly, resolve already leaving him.

“Come on Will. I need my beauty sleep. I know you think this is unfair, but I know you well enough to know you’ll feel responsible if another person vanished and you could have prevented it.” Jack pleaded, making to move around the doctor but stopping once he realized the man wouldn’t budge. Hannibal ignored the detective for the moment, merely watched Wills shoulders slouch in defeat, his back was turned to the two men as he had an internal debate with himself. Eventually, the empath sighed sadly.

“Alright Jack, just give me a few days to set up a dogsitter and I’m all yours.” He spoke with obvious bitterness, turning back briefly to regard the men.

“It was nice to meet you Doctor Lecter, I hope I reach whatever expectations you and Jack have for me.” He nodded once before escaping out the door, not even waiting for the two men to reply. 

…………………………………………………………………………………..

“Sorry about him, he’s a bit… unsociable. I hope he didn’t cause any offense.” Jack said, offering an apology on behalf of the retreating figure. Hannibal smiled formerly at the Detective, watching as Will walked quickly back into the woods from the window from the corner of his eye.

“None taken.” It had the opposite effect actually, not that he’d ever tell the egotistical man before him. Will’s aloofness and defensive behavior was positively charming to him.

“I’m glad. I just wish he’d be more enthusiastic about using his gift. I hate pushing him like this.” Jack sighed, leaning warily against the wall. Hannibal offered him a carefully crafted look of sympathy in return. 

“You are asking a lot from him Jack. It seems to take a great toll on him to even make eye contact with others. Empathy is an uncomfortable gift, a double edged sword of sorts. I fear that pushing him like you are will only have the opposite effect you’re hoping for.” 

“Then what do you suggest?” Jack looked hopefully at him, confident that if anyone could convince Will to be more useful, it would be him. In the few weeks he had known the man, he had shown incredible persuasive skills that rivaled even Will’s strange ability. Secretly, he hoped to gain enough of Hannibal’s favor to get him to work for him on future cases. With his influence and Will’s empathy, they’d be an unstoppable team. Jack’s eyes glazed over as he thought about all the potential Will and the doctor had to be useful to him. The doctor watched this with cold calculation before coming to a decision.

“If you would be so kind as to tell me where he lives, I will go out of my way to visit him later in the day to ‘melt the ice’ so to speak. It seems we had gotten off on the wrong foot.” Jack grimaced, already anticipating the rant he would receive later from Will at giving a total stranger directions to his home. But for some reason, he didn’t even think of refusing the man. (After Hannibal left he would wonder why that was) But for now, he pulled out his phone and texted the address to the man without a second thought. 

“Just to let you know, Will really doesn’t like it when people come over uninvited. I just hope this doesn't prevent you from convincing him to find your culprit.” Lecter smiled, his first genuine smile of the day, before making his way out the door.

“Not to worry Jack, I think I can help good Will see his face.”


	3. Naujas Draugas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (naujas draugas= New friend)  
> This chapter took forever to figure out! But i hope you guys like it :)  
> Please leave a comment to tell me what you think!

When Will returned to the rundown shack he called home, the first thing he did was flop down face-first on his couch in annoyance. He really hated Jack sometimes, especially today. Did he not understand that empathy wasn’t a superpower? Was it really so wrong to want his privacy out here? Not to mention all the things that he now had to worry about in regards to the Lecter house. Just thinking about it twisted his stomach into anxious knots at all the things that could go wrong there. Winston, his most recent rescue, sniffed at him curiously as Will muffled his angry moans into the couch.

“Damn it… I don’t even have anything fancy to wear…” He complained, turning to glare at Winston like he was to blame for his current predicament. The dog merely pressed a cold nose to his face before laying his head on the couch, now at eye level with his owner. 

Will absently pet Winston's head as his thoughts began to spiral. Beverly, one of his rare ‘friends’ from town, was his most likely bet for a sitter. She had a yard big enough for all his dogs and always loved having them over. Secretly, he was jealous that the majority of his pack seemed to like her more than him. But it was understandable since he usually had to leave for days at a time for certain jobs. Winston seemed to be the most loyal towards him, he always followed him around the house and seemed to truly enjoy his company. But he’ll be fine with Bev once he had to leave. 

The thought of being surrounded by so many people for days on end made him seriously question his loyalties to Jack. Worse case scenario, his wings are discovered and he’d be forced to flee the small town he had called home for so long. Maybe, if he ran deep enough into the woods, he’d find others like him that ran there so long ago… That, or he would be locked away in a lab somewhere and pulled apart by some scientists...

_No, I’d rather die._

His stomach growled, startling him out of his grim thoughts. Apparently, the granola bar he had for breakfast wasn’t enough sustenance and now his body was throwing a fit. He sighed, rubbing a hand over his stomach as he grabbed a nearby water bottle in an attempt to dampen his hunger. He needed more food than the average human, but the fact that he was always so busy, sided with the fact that he didn’t like going into town unless absolutely necessary meant that he had to make his supplies last as long as possible. In an attempt to distract himself from hunger, he went to free his wings to get comfy when he suddenly heard a light knock at the door.

He froze, sudden terror filling him at the thought of someone finding his home. His pack, sensing someone at the door, proceeded to bark and yip at it. Will whistled for them to be quiet before ushering them into the kitchen then silently making his way over to the door. Slowly, he grabbed a nearby baseball bat near the door he used for self defense before turning the knob and opening it just enough to look through. Silently grateful he had the chain lock installed in case someone tried to force their way in. He squinted in the morning light, a large frame he didn’t recognize was a foot away from the entrance and he blinked into focus.

Much to his surprise, Doctor Lecter was standing stoically on his front porch. Holding what looked to be a large tupperware container with such an appetizing aroma that he felt his stomach clench hungrily in response. Swallowing thickly, he mustered his remaining resolve and stared warily at the man who invaded his home. He was struck again with how strangely pristine the man was, not a hair was out of place and he couldn't see any creases or wrinkles on his brown suit. Nor any dirt on his very expensive looking shoes. Hannibal, seeing how Will was observing him, smiled when Will unlocked the chain and opened the door further, not yet inviting him in.

“Greetings Mr. Graham, I hope you don’t mind the intrusion but I feel that we may have gotten off on the wrong foot. I Noticed you were a bit pale earlier so I brought a little something to make you feel better.” He lifted the tray for emphasis, wafting more of the smell towards Will but still making no attempt to move towards the door like all his other visitors have done in the past. Will glared between him and the food suspiciously and did his best not to drool.

“Did Jack tell you where I live?” 

“Yes, He felt remorseful for how he treated you this morning, so I took the liberty of asking him for your address.” That earned a disbelieving snort from Will. He found it highly unlikely that Jack would feel bad about anything if it meant he would get his desired result. Still, he was grateful the doctor was at least attempting to be courteous. Glancing over the doctors shoulder, he noted the absence of any cars.

“Dr. Lecter... Did you walk here?”

“Only partially, I’m afraid my car wouldn’t have made it this far into the woods.” Will sighed, suddenly feeling guilty for inconveniencing the man. 

“Sorry about that, I usually walk everywhere so it doesn’t really bother me as much as it does everyone else.”

“Not to worry, I quite enjoyed the scenic route. I can understand why you like it out here so much. May I come in?” He smiled politely when he asked, head tilted slightly but still making no attempt to move forward towards him. Will, used to people (especially Jack) just barging in through the door, was both pleased and confused by his stillness. He considered the fact that the man was not yet put off by Will’s own aloofness despite how he behaved at the Crawfords, the least he could do was return the favor.

“Yeah, sure. Just give me a minute to let my dogs out.”

Hannibal’s smile grew as Will stepped out of the way and led him into his home. The empath realizing too late that he had yet to clean that week. Various articles of clothing and books were scattered about the small livingroom and the floor was littered with several leaves that he had trekked into the house. He felt his face grow hot with embarrassment before leading the doctor towards the decidedly cleaner kitchen. Quickly shooing his dogs outside before they could jump on the doctors expensive suit. 

“Err… Sorry about the mess, I wasn’t expecting company.” He grumbled, leaning against the countertop as Hannibal began setting up the small table with napkins and plates he nabbed from Will’s kitchen drawers. 

“It’s quite alright Mr. Graham. I did arrive unannounced after all.”

“Please, call me Will. I’m not really fond of formalities.”

“In that case, Please feel free to call me Hannibal. I find people to be less intimidated by me if they don’t use my family's name in conversation.”

When the meal preparations were done, Hannibal ushered Will to sit as he began to explain the contents of the ‘breakfast scramble’. The egg and sausage meal, while simple, made Will’s stomach tighten hungrily. He crossed his arms tightly over his stomach in the attempts to keep his stomach from loudly rumbling, not yet digging in like he wanted to and instead stared warily at the man graciously poised at the other side of the table. 

“So… why did you really come here?”

“I’m not quite sure I understand what you mean. Jack already explained my proposition.”

“Come on Doc- Hannibal. I’m sure someone like you in the medical profession is just dying to figure out what makes someone like me tick.” Will absently rubbed his shoulder as he spoke, looking down at his steaming plate. “I once met a doctor who tried to psychoanalyze me against my will when I was younger, but I knew all the tricks.” He looked up to see Hannibal's mouth twitch downwards into a frown at that. “Besides, ‘Proposition’? I’m pretty sure Jack made it perfectly clear I’m going no matter what.”

“You are still free to decline, I will not hold it against you.” 

“Jack will.” Will sighed, picking up his fork to dig into the scramble. Hannibal stilled, watching him as he popped a piece of sausage into his mouth and practically groaned in relief. The flavor was unique, practically melting in his mouth as he did his best to savor it despite how hungry he was. He pressed his back into the chair when his wings began straining harshly under the binder, happy for having actual nutrition for once.

They ate together like that in silence, neither really feeling the need to speak just yet. He took a few more frantic bites before realizing that Hannibal was watching him eat with a strangely pleased expression, the intense stare snapping him out of his barely restrained feeding frenzy.

“Thank you Hannibal, this is probably the best breakfast I’ve ever had.” He mumbled, wiping some grease away from his mouth with a napkin. Hannibal’s permanent smirk grew once again into a pleased grin.

“I am honored to hear you say that Will, I have always found great joy in making meals for others. Especially when they have such a pleased reaction as you’ve had to my creations.” Will’s blush grew further across his face in embarrassment. 

“So, um… You’ve said before that you have no idea who’s killing people on your property right?” 

_Great subject change dumbass._

“I have a few theories, but none I feel free to share just yet.” 

“Why?” 

“I wouldn’t want to taint a reputation of one of my esteemed guests without merit, besides, I’m much more interested in what your theories are.” he leaned towards Will, who flinched back against the chair at the sudden movement from the usually still man. He ducked his head down shyly to avoid looking at Lecter's face.

“My theories?” 

“Surely you have some suspicions as to who it could be at this point. Your empathy would make it fairly easy to figure out a motive.” Will considered him for a moment, surprised. 

“My first suspicions would be you all things considered.” That earned a small laugh from him. “Though I doubt Jack would even consider it. That and I haven't really… ”

“Oh?” Another head tilt. 

“Jack told you about how my… ‘gift’ works right?” 

“Yes. ‘Through touch’ correct?”

“In the simplest terms, yes. But it’s not mind reading like how Jack believes it to work.” He explained, rubbing his face and mulling over how he should describe it. “It’s more like… I _become_ them in a sense. I can understand everything about them, their desires, their fears, their… Motives.” He mumbled, picking at the scraps of egg with his fork. “It can be… Overwhelming.”

“Is that why you reacted so strongly when Jack touched you?” 

“Yes. he has a tendency to use manipulative tactics if it means getting what he wants.” Will grimaced, still bitter. 

“I see… I’m sorry you had to go through that because of me.” 

“It’s not your fault.” Will was quick to correct. “I’m used to it. Jack may be incredibly bull headed, but he means well.” 

“You are remarkably loyal towards those you deem friends.”

“Well, I take what I can get I guess.” Will laughed, standing to put the plates away only to be stopped by Hannibal. 

“Please, allow me.” 

After much convincing by Will to help, they ended up cleaning the dishes together in relaxing silence. Will found that he enjoyed the company despite how anxious the doctor made him feel when he watched him move about his house. But he found he didn’t mind it, the two ended up lounging on the couch hours afterwards and discussed a number of things over a bottle of wine Will managed to find. The doctor seemed delighted to know Will’s familiarity with classical literature and mythology, even showing interest in Will’s fishing hobby when he asked about the lures. It was… nice to talk to somebody so casually like this.

“Do you have any other hobbies besides cooking Doctor?” Will teased, stretching his legs out in front of himself. 

“Please, just Hannibal.” He smirked in response, remaining posed on the other side of the couch, observing the various boat and forest paintings Will had strewn about the living room. “And yes, I do have other ‘hobbies’. I have found I am an avid fan of attending Operas and ballets in the next town over.” 

“I take it you’re a fan of the Greek plays? Shakespear perhaps?” 

“Oh please do give me some credit Will, Shakespear is often overrated by scholars who see meaning where there is none. Though I find his ‘Midsummer Nights Dream’ to be… Amusing.” Will saw another secretive smirk and laughed. 

“Can’t say I’ve seen it, but I’ve read various reviews on it online.” 

The aghast look on the Doctors face made him laugh even harder. The wine and atmosphere made him feel more relaxed than he had been in a while. A look at the clock sobered him slightly when he realized just how late it had gotten. Sensing his mood change, Hannibal followed his gaze to the clock and his eyes widened slightly in surprise.

“It’s gotten awfully late hasn’t it? I’m afraid I must be going soon or I'll never hear the end of it.”

“I hope I didn’t keep you too long.” Will mumbled, worried he wasn’t being a good host. Hannibal shook his head before standing.

“Not at all, I quite enjoyed myself today.”

“Me too. It was… nice.” He stood to follow Hannibal towards the door. Making sure his dogs didn’t harass the man as he ushered them back into the kitchen where their food bowls were waiting. Winston, ever stubborn, stayed at his side protectively and eyed the stranger at the door. 

“Sorry, he’s a bit untrusting of strangers.” Will explained, reaching down to scratch Winston's ears to calm him.

“Don’t be, I am actually quite fond of dogs. Yours are so well behaved.” Hannibal stated, bringing his hand down for Winston to sniff at. Something in Wills chest fluttered at Hannibal’s easy acceptance of his pets. 

“Thanks, They’re like family to me.” Another strange look rippled over Hannibal's features at that before he straightened to look the empath in the eye.

“I really did have a good time today Will. I find your company to be… Interesting.”

“Oh.” He didn’t know what to say to that, instead looking down at a very happy looking Winston. “I don’t find you that interesting.” he managed to say.

“You will.” That strange almost-smile again. “Do you have any plans tomorrow? I would like to come again if you’re free.” His head snapped up at that. But instead of the usual ‘thanks but I have plans’ excuse, he was surprised to hear himself say “Sure, what time?” 

“Around 5pm, I have some duties I have to attend to but I hope to have dinner ready by then.”

“Dinner?”

“I told you it’s a hobby of mine. Besides, a look at your pantry tells me you don’t eat all that much.” A pointed look from Hannibal made Will feel the need to defend himself, but held his tongue since he knew he was right. 

“Yeah, sure. I’ll make something with fish if I catch anything tomorrow by the stream.”

“Wonderful.” Hannibal beamed, stepping over the threshold of the door into the late afternoon air. He turned back to where Will was at the door, bowing respectfully much to Will’s surprise.

“Again, it has been a pleasure Will. It pleases me to know we have such common interests, I would like to discuss the party more with you tomorrow over dinner.”

“I should warn you, I don't have anything nice to wear for it.” 

“An easy fix I assure you.” He sounded so smug to Will he wouldn’t be surprised if the man had winked when he said it, but he was too busy looking at his suit to see it. He did see the way the mans mouth quirked up into a smile when he saw Will staring. 

“Goodnight Hannibal.”

“Goodnight Will.”

With one final nod from both men, Will closed the door. 

………………………………………………………………...

He leaned his head against the wood frame when he was sure the man was gone. It was a shock to him to realize just how… comfortable he had gotten with Hannibals presence. He had never felt that relaxed around anyone, let alone a total stranger. 

_No wonder Jack is so trusting of the guy. He’s as charming as a snake._

Still, something was nagging at the empath about the man. The thought pestering him as he double checked the locks around the house and settling his dogs down for the night. He thought over the events of the day as he freed his wings. Groaning as he stretched them out. They fluttered energetically, stretching out to their full length before resting lazily against his back. He felt good, the food, wine and conversation had unwound all of his tension and made sleeping easy.

It wasn’t until he laid down in his nest of towels and blankets did he realize that, despite him being at his home for hours, not once did Hannibal touch him.

………………………………………………………………………….

_I’m sleepwalking._

Will came to in a daze, shivering at the cold air about him. His feet ached, likely scratched up from the overgrown foliage of the woods. But he couldn’t seem to wake up enough to care just yet. Merely looking around with uncomprehending eyes at the trees around him. His wings, free from any bindings or shirts, trailed along the forest floor behind him, also heavy with sleep. He couldn’t see any house lights nearby, the dim full moon above him his only source of light. 

He shivered again when he noticed a dark silhouette a few feet ahead of him. It looked to be the outline of a large deer that reminded him of the one he saw earlier. He blinked slowly, like a cat. When his eyes opened the deer was gone, replaced by the dark shadow of a man with antlers for a crown. His large black robe trailed over his tall form into the leaves far behind him as he slowly walked towards Will. Who merely followed him with his eyes as he came to a stop about a foot away from him. His eyes were a burning red that took in Will’s wings and form with an intense hunger as he loomed over him.

_I must be hallucinating, I haven't done that in awhile. ___

___‘Will, what are you doing?’_ The things voice was gentle, soothing, something that didn’t fit it’s terrifying physique. But Will, still in a daze, was still too out of it to really question what was happening._ _

__“Am I asleep?” He mumbled, words slurred and barely understandable. The thing before him laughed quietly, the low rumbling noise it emitted rattling Wills ribs. Carefully, it reached out to gingerly cup his cheek with a taloned hand that looked dipped in ink. With the other hand, it lightly caressed between where his Wings and back connected. Will shivered, leaning into the strange touch, his wings spreading in pleasure. No one had ever touched his wings before._ _

___‘Remarkable boy, you shouldn’t be here.’_ The thing rumbled again, caressing his back in such a way that made Will’s eyes heavy with sleep. He nodded, leaning forward more into the creature's warmth. It caught him with a tenderness he hadn’t known since his mother, making him blink tears away from his eyes at the memory. _ _

___‘Hush Will, it’s alright.’_ It soothed, lifting him into it arms as it began to walk back to where Will assumed was his home. The large robe shielding him from the cold wind as they walked. It was only when they neared the lights of his home that he opened his eyes to look at what was around him._ _

___That's not a robe. Those are wigs..._ _ _

__“Where did she go? She was supposed to come back.” He whispered, leaning his head on the things shoulder as his eyes closed, barely conscious enough to feel the thing wipe his wet cheek. When he drifted back into some semblance of awake, he found himself in his bed, the thing looking down at him from the dark corner of the room. His wings had curled around himself at some point to keep away the cold, his cheeks still felt a bit damp._ _

___‘Go to sleep.’_ It rumbled, red eyes practically glowing in the dark. Will blinked slowly again before closing his eyes. The strange rumble making him sink further into the sheets._ _

__“I’m never going to find others.” He whispered sadly, snuggling his face into a nearby pillow. He was too far gone to barely hear when the thing spoke a moment later._ _

___'No dear Will, but they found you.'_ _ _


	4. Laukiu Nesulaukiu

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laukiu Nesulaukiu= To express excitement for an upcoming event.
> 
> Wow! A lot of people are reading this already, you guys are great! Please leave a comment and tell me what you think!

Will woke up feeling better rested than he had been in months.

The fragmented memories he had of the events of that night were brushed off as a lucid dream brought about by his sleepwalking. It would not be the first time his brain conjured up something so realistic. Looking down at his scratched feet confirmed he had wandered out at some point and he got up to wash off the remaining dirt and regular wing powder from his body. 

The water was colder than he anticipated, jerking any drowsiness out of his body when he remembered too late he forgot to pay for the water heat. Hastily, he scrubbed his hair and body clean, the clear water quickly turning blue as he watched it flow down the drain. With another onceover of soap in his wings, he made his escape from the ice cold water. He shivered, quickly draping a towel over himself before examining himself in the mirror.

The face that looked back at him was pale and thin, Blue eyes were shadowed and bruised which gave away his lack of sleep for anyone who looked close enough. Wild brown curls sprung wildly up from his head, he could never seem to control them no matter how much he brushed. For now, he tucked the behind his ears to brush his teeth. Unlike what he had read and seen of fairies in media, his ears were not pointed or long, which gave him some relief that he could hide himself easier among others. 

Slowly, he stretched out his wings behind him in the mirror, enjoying the stretch he felt as he carefully checked for any scratches or holes that he knew he’d never find. The membrane was an opaque blue that bled into black the closer it got to his back, segmented into four parts like a butterflies with thin black veins that branched out from his shoulderblades. The hindwings tapered downwards into thin black ribbons that lightly brushed the floor when he walked. If he had to make a near comparison of what butterfly they resembled, it would be a Dragontail Butterfly mixed with a Blue Morpho. Despite how desperately he tried to hide them from the world, he thought they were beautiful, which was why he went to such great pains to clean them. 

_Not like it matters though, no ones going to see them._

The memory of the dream came back to him as he spat the toothpaste into the sink. He felt a strange warm feeling grow in the pit of his stomach of the memory of the strange touches. Even though it wasn’t real, the memory of the hand caressing his back and wiping his tears filled him with an intense longing. He found it curious that such a nightmarish figure was used by his brain as a comfort, but chalked it up to the melding of his usual morbid thoughts twisting his mental state.

_Damn, I must really be lonely if I'm starting to have dreams about getting hugged by monsters..._

His reflection frowned at him, unhappy at being reminded yet again of his isolation. Sighing, he toweled off the remaining dampness from his hair and changed into some loose-fitting sweatpants and sweater. The sweater being a handmade gift from Beverly a few years back that was far too ugly to wear in public but way too comfortable to just throw away. He had cut a large slit in the back for his wings to fit through in the case it was too cold to walk around his house shirtless. His dogs happily crowded around him as he prepared his breakfast, noting how Winston, being the newest, only sniffed his wings curiously before laying down at his feet when he sat down to eat yesterday's leftovers at the table. 

Will eyed the spot where Hannibal had sat across from him the day before, a strange giddiness that was entirely alien to him started bubbling up in his gut at the reminder the man would be arriving again later that night. It was weird, being excited at the notion of another person in his house. Normally, the presence of another would eclipse his own personality due to his empathy, draining him of his energy as he subconsciously mirrored their behavior patterns based on what he absorbed from them in their interactions. But with Hannibal… he felt nothing but relaxed despite his initial feelings of unease. It touched him deeply that Hannibal refrained from touching him at all during his stay, normally when people first learned about their empathy, they would grab at him to see for themselves just how much he could see. It had led to a lot of fights in the past when he was younger. 

He only made to move when he remembered promising to bring some fish for dinner. He had a favorite spot about a quarter mile into the woods that provided plenty of fish, especially during this time of year. Making sure his pack was comfortable, he exchanged his comfortable sweater for his usual binder and plaid shirt in case he came across any hikers in the woods. It wasn’t a common occurrence to see anyone else out here save for the fear junkies and occasional hunter, but he didn’t want to take the risk. 

Pulling up his rubber boots and giving his binder an additional once over, he grabbed his trusty rod and trekked out the front door, Winston following closely behind. It was a slightly colder day than it was yesterday, his breath puffed out in small wisps of smoke as he walked through the underbrush. He was reminded yet again of his sleepwalking travels that night, realizing that the front door was locked when he checked it. He usually left it wide open in his daze, but shrugged it off as his muscle memory. Winston happily panted beside him, wagging his tail and barking at the occasional squirrel they’d come across on their walk. He decided with a deep inhale of the cool fall air that today would be good.

Once the stream came into view, he sat on a nearby boulder to tuck his pants into his boots before he waddled knee deep into the freezing water. Winston barked at him twice before wandering off to explore the foliage, leaving Will alone with his thoughts. He took in the sounds of the gentle stream, letting his mind drift away from his body and felt truly relaxed. He always loved to fish, finding it to be incredibly meditative. He spent what felt like hours like that, just walking slowly back and forth in the waters flow. Only coming back to his senses when he felt the tell-tale tug of a fish on the line. He managed to catch a few largemouth bass within the hour before he decided to call it a day. Winston had fallen asleep by the shoreline next to his extra equipment and quickly woke up when he heard Will walk out of the water. 

When they made it back to the Cabin, Will had his arms wrapped tightly around himself due to how cold it had gotten. He quickly deposited the now-dead Bass onto a well worn cutting board before he let himself rest for a moment, practically ripping his binder off before plopping down on the couch in similar fashion to what he did yesterday. His wings stretched out high above him in their momentary reprieve. His phone, which had managed to land on the floor in his haste, buzzed annoyingly at him. He picked it up without bothering to check to see who was calling.

“Hello?”

“Hello Will.” Came Doctor Lecter’s voice in all it’s velvet glory. Will’s eyes widened in surprise, quickly shooting up into a sitting position when he recognized the voice.

“Doct- I mean- Hannibal? How’d you get my number?” He fumbled, wings draping over the back of the couch.

“Jack insisted I have you as a contact just in case. I was just calling to confirm as well as let you know you have my number as well now.” Will could practically hear the smile in his voice, almost seeing it in his minds eye. He thought about asking why he hadn’t just texted him, but considering how ‘classy’ the doctor was, he likely saw the act as too ‘informal’.

_I should have asked him for his number yesterday and saved him the trouble of dealing with Jack._

“You’re at Jack’s house?”

“Yes, Just a formality meeting. He needed to confirm some things with me in regards to everyone's stay.” 

“Ah.” A pause. “Have you met Bella?” Will didn’t get to talk to her yesterday due to his sudden departure. Hannibal seemed to understand what he wanted to know.

“I have, she’s quite a remarkable woman. An equal match to Jack in her righteousness.” 

_That must mean she gave Jack a stern talking to when I left yesterday._ He smiled at the thought of Bella coming to his defense, she was always very protective of him when it came to Jack. 

“I hope she wasn’t too ‘righteous’ with Jack.” He joked, already imagining how Jack would act like a whipped puppy during their next encounter, something that usually lasted about a day before he went to his usual strict self. He heard a breathless laugh on the other end.

“How have you been Will?” 

“Uh, Fine.” Will muttered, unused to small talk. “”I uh, I just caught dinner. Hope you like Bass.” 

“I am quite a fan of freshwater actually, I’ll being a few side dishes that will be sure to compliment it.” 

_Damn, I didn’t even think about that._ Will was used to just deep frying his catches on a skillet. He hadn’t even considered what sort of seasoning to use for tonight. 

_I’m sure I have some garlic and lemon in the pantry._

“Sounds good, just don’t expect anything too extravagant, I’m not a chef.” Will muttered, a bit embarrassed he was less prepared than initially thought. 

“Nonsense Will, I’m sure whatever you prepare will be delicious.” His tone was strange, like he was hinting at something that made Will’s cheeks burn. Before he could respond, he heard Jack shout for Hannibal somewhere in the background, accompanied by what Will realized was most likely Doctor Alana Bloom, Will’s ex-psychologist and now friend. He had a crush on her for the longest time, Even more so when they stopped the treatment. But couldn’t voice his feelings due to his secret. He highly doubted she’d be able to handle what she saw if he ever took his shirt off in front of her, but was glad that she respected his boundaries.

_Wait, why is she there?_

“It seems that Jack has some more company over, If you would excuse me Will.” 

“Sure, see you tonight.”

“Till then.”

When Will heard the line go dead, he got up to access what could be done for dinner. He didn’t have much, so decided on a buttered fillet topped with paprika, garlic, and pepper. It wasn’t much, but smelled delicious enough that his smallest dog, Buster, attempted to catapult himself onto the table. A quick whistle and wing barrier prevented him from ruining dinner when he started slicing the filet into bite sized pieces. The force of the small dog slamming into his back was enough to make him accidentally cut his thumb on the knife though. 

Cursing, he carefully escorted Buster outside before rummaging for the first aid kit. He managed to just stop the bleeding with some gauze when he heard a knock at the door. Adrenaline spiked when he realized he left his binder in the living room and quickly ran for it out of view of the window. Thanking the powers that be he remembered to pull the blinds closed earlier. 

Hastily throwing his clothes on, he opened the door to the sight of Hannibal holding something that smelled simply delicious. 

“Hello Will, I hope I’m not too early.” The Doctor apologized as Will ushered him inside. 

“Not at all, I just finished up actually. Feel free to make yourself at home. What side dish did you make?”

“Some locally sourced Beef stew with buttered potatoes. Along with some honeycake for dessert.” Hannibal preened, looking all too pleased with himself. Will found the look was starting to become extremely endearing.

“That… sounds like a lot for a side dish.” 

“Forgive me, I’m used to making large meals for me and my sister back home.” He grinned, taking over and setting the food onto the plate. 

“You have a sister?” 

“Yes, her name is Misha, she has an incredible amount of energy and loves having company over. You’ll be able to meet her next week at the party.” Will watched as Hannibal's eyes lit up with affection the more he talked about his sister, it was clear he adored her with every fiber of his being. Will’s empathy making him feel that same affection by proxy, quickly turning his attention to eating before it became too much and he ended up saying something stupid. 

……………………………………………………………………..

“Did you injure yourself earlier by chance?” 

Will looked up from his spot on the couch to see Hannibal eyeing his makeshift bandage. Dinner went as smoothly as it had yesterday and even more delicious. It relieved Will what his meager filets had impressed the Doctor to some extent. He was even more grateful the stew would most likely last him for about a week given how much of it there was. Currently, Will had managed to get a fire going and they had resumed their previous spots on the couch from yesterday. Both of them simply enjoyed the crackle of the fire and occasionally sipped their wine while they enjoyed the cakes.

“Yes, but it’s nothing to worry about. It doesn’t need stitches or anything.” 

_That, and I heal a lot quicker than normal people do._

“I see… Still, as a doctor, I would like to take a look at it just in case.” Hannibal shifted closer to him as he spoke, his leg just mere centimeters from Will’s own. But he made no move to grab Will’s hand like he expected, merely waiting for Will’s permission.

_Oh yeah, the guys a doctor._

“Hannibal… I don’t want to see-”

“It’s alright Will, I’ll use gloves and will not touch your skin directly. Will that be enough to dampen your empathy?” Something in Will’s gut twisted at how considerate Hannibal was being towards him. He felt his wings flutter and his face grow warm, but not from the fire.

“I… I think it’ll be okay.” He eventually managed to say. Looking into the fire so he didn’t have to meet Hannibal’s eyes.

_‘Hush Will, it’s alright.’_

_Why did I just think of that?_

Will flinched when he felt his sleeve slowly tugged on. He looked over to see an already gloved Hannibal gently lifting his arm up by the cuff. Will complied, watching as Hannibal carefully unwrapped the bandaging to access the damage. 

_Funny, I didn’t even notice him get up._

“You’re right, it appears that it doesn’t need stitches. Though I would recommend applying some medical ointment to prevent infection.” 

“...Thank you.” Will practically whispered, too focused on making sure he didn’t accidentally touch the other man to look him in the eyes. Not noticing the shadow that crossed over the other mans features at the sight of the wound. Being this close to another person, Will had taught himself to hold completely still to avoid accidental contact. The doctor didn’t move either, merely rewrapped the gauze much better than Will had before finally letting go. 

“Not a fan of eye contact are you?” 

“Not really, they’re too distracting. See to much, see to little…” Will trailed off, not really wanting to discuss himself in case it ruined the mood. 

“I met a woman named Alana Bloom today, she said she knew you.” Hannibal stated after a few minutes. 

“You could say that. She used to be my psychiatrist for a while, nowadays we’re just good friends.” He felt no need to tell Hannibal he used to have a crush on her, it felt… inappropriate to do so given the strange atmosphere.

“She’s worried about you coming to my home.”

“She worries about everything when it comes to me.” Which was true, she had a tendency to try to mother him whenever she could. One of the few things he didn’t like about her.

“Out of concern?”

“More like out of pity. Everyone knows I’m a bit of a hermit.” Which was true, he could always see the pity in peoples eyes whenever he went into the town. They all knew what kind of person his father was, his aloofness only growing worse when he isolated himself from society. 

“Genuine concern is often mistaken for pity by those who believe they don’t deserve it.” Hannibal stated, taking another sip of his wine after taking off his gloves. Will eyed where Hannibal placed them on the counter before turning to look him dead in the eye. 

“I don’t need charity. I like my privacy.” 

“True, but something tells me you’re not that fond of the isolation that comes with it.” 

“I have friends.” Will defended, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“You have allies.” Hannibal countered, once again leaning forward to better look into Wills eyes. “But do you have anyone that you can truly rely on? Someone who you can truly and wholly open up to?” 

“Getting close to others is… Dangerous for me. In more ways than one.” Will said, absently picking at the wrappings much to the doctors obvious displeasure. Neither of them pushed the subject, instead carrying on lighter subjects. Hannibal told Will of his living situation with his sister, of how he took on the responsibility of raising her once their parents decided to move due to ‘Business’ (Which the doctor said in that ‘in-on-the-joke’ way he did towards Will). Will spoke a bit about his father, of how he drowned his liver in alcohol when Will was still barely an adult. He made no mention of his mother, and Hannibal didn’t pry. Winston had managed to sneak into the room at some point to lay down around Will’s feet. Occasionally lifting his head to sniff at Hannibal's shoes curiously much to the doctors strange amusement.

“He seems awfully attached to you Will.”

“Yeah, I found him wandering the woods a while back and he’s been attached at the hip ever since.” Will said fondly, rubbing Winston's back briefly.

“May I ask what your plans are for a sitter?”

“I have an ‘ally’ in town who takes care of them when I work.” He laughed lightly at using the word Hannibal used. “Her name’s Beverly. I’ve known her ever since I started working for Jack, She’s got a real knack with animals. My other dogs favor her a lot more over me.” He laughed, almost bitter about it. Hannibal smiled in turn before starting down at the dog, apparently deep in thought. 

“Would you like to bring him with you to my place?” Will’s head snapped up in surprise.

“I wouldn’t want to impose. He’ll be alright with the sitter for a few days.” Something too quick for Will to decipher flickered over Hannibal’s face for a moment.

“That may be so, but you’ve said yourself that he is overly attached to you. Staying apart for too long would cause unnecessary stress for both of you. I imagine you’ll worry about him while you’re away. Besides, we have plenty of space he can stay in during the party. Also, Misha simply adores dogs.” Hannibal explained, looking down at where Will was petting the dog in question with that same fondness that made Will’s gut twist.

“If it’s not too much trouble…” He relented, feeling strangely relieved the wouldn’t have to worry about Winston. Hannibal beamed at him again and Will couldn’t help but laugh. They spent the rest of the night like that, bantering and poking at one another's mental foundations in the hopes of peeking through the cracks. 

When Hannibal left, Will found that he didn’t want him to leave. 

…………………………………………………………

He ended up bringing the gloves Hannibal used with him to bed. 

He knew it was weird, but he couldn’t seem to just throw them away. He ended up falling asleep with them clutched in his hand, wings providing him with a makeshift shelter as he drifted.

Sometime that night, he dreamed of the same shadow from the previous night in his room. Falling asleep to it unwrapping his bandage and licking the blood from his hand.


	5. Rudeneja

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Woo chapter 5!  
> (Rudeneja= The way nature or the weather begins to feel like autumn)  
> You guys are so nice with your comments! please leave one and tell me what you think so far :)

The rest of the week went surprisingly fast considering how much Will was dreading what came at the end of it.

Will had found himself in a new routine of sorts. Where he would normally spend his days off work fishing or lounging with his pack, He was now spending his evenings with Hannibal on a near daily basis. He always brought over what Will considered to be extravagant meals, talking and drinking wine well into the night. He now had plenty of food thanks to the overabundance of leftovers that he suspected to be intentional (not that he minded). As the days went on, Hannibal had been leaving much later in the night than he had the night before. Will didn’t know if it was on purpose, but found he didn’t mind it one bit if it meant having the doctor stay in his house longer. They got along fairly well and, much to Will’s surprise, he already considered the doctor to be a close friend despite only knowing him for a matter of days.

Jack spared him of any surprise visits as well. More than likely putting together as much of the profile of the killer as he could before coming to him for aid. Which, given just how impatient the man was, would likely be any day now.

He kept getting those strange dreams about the dark figure too. After the night it licked his hand (Which was all but fully healed when he woke up), it would just stand at the corner of the room and stared at him with those burning red eyes. He had vague memories of a hand ghosting over his face and arms, The most recent night Will dreamed that it had come closer until it practically hovered loomed over him like the night he first dreamt about it. He knew he should have been scared of it. But those dreams were always strangely calm, like he knew the thing wasn’t a threat to him. 

Some part of him even looked forward to its nightly visits, it tended to soothe his night terrors like a balm over his trembling heart.

But still, The days went on, it was now the last day Will had to himself before he would be leaving. Beverly had already come by the previous night to pick up the dogs. (Minus Winston.) They had talked for a while about what she had been up to lately, apparently she was going back to college to study forensics in a few months. Will was happy for her of course, but it meant that she wouldn’t be around as much and he may have to consider a new sitter. But that was an issue for much later. He could feel her electric excitement at the prospect of school bleed into his skin, but also the fluttering anxiety that comes with big life changes. He did his best to cheer her up during her stay, and they parted with a brief one-armed hug before she walked away with the only living creatures that he considered family.

He didn’t understand why watching them leave made him feel so sad.

Currently, he was packing away some clothes and necessities that he would be needing. He had bought a few spare binders and towels in town as well as some other things that would help him take care of his wings. That, and a few things like toys and blankets to keep Winston comfortable. The dog in question was currently delighted to have the whole house to himself and was napping on Will’s bed unbothered, apparently Winston liked the quiet just as much as he did.

The buzzing of his phone on his bed roused him from his task of shoving everything he physically could into a single bag while his wings draped across the carpet. He groaned as he stood, one of his legs had fallen asleep and he absently rubbed at it before he looked at the screen. Seeing Jack’s name made him groan again in annoyance, he really hated being right sometimes. 

“Jack.”

“Hey Will, I hope you’re packed. We’ll all have to get up early tomorrow if we want to get to Lecter's house by afternoon.” His voice sounded tired, like he hadn’t slept at all that night. “Who are you carpooling with?”

Will blinked. 

“I uh… thought you’d be driving. Who else is coming?” He heard Jack sigh after a long moment. He could practically feel his irritation from the case channeling through the phone and into him.

“It’s going to be you, me, and Alana Bloom.”

_What the fuck Jack..._

“...What? Why’s Alana going to be there?” He managed to say without grinding his teeth. He knew that Jack saw Alana as something akin to his babysitter. Which, given how she often treated him as something fragile, wasn’t that far off. The prospect of having to deal with both of them on this trip was grating.

“She’s an old friend of Hannibal apparently, I took the liberty of making her my plus one to the party.”

“Your plus one.” His tone sounded flat in comparison to the annoyance he felt.

“That, and I believe it will do you good to see her.”

_Asshole._

“Great idea Jack, just… Great. Is Hannibal supposed to be my ward as well?” The thought that the only reason Hannibal had endured his company just because Jack asked him too made his stomach roil in knots and his wings cling tightly to his back.

“Absolutely not.” He laughed. “Dr. Lecter has enough people to look after given his line of work. That and I promised Alana not to let you get too close.” 

_Ah, that explains why she was at his house. She wouldn't like the idea of me infecting a friend of hers with my thoughts._

“I see. Can I at least hear more about this killer of yours? You haven't really gone into much detail last time.”

“You didn’t exactly stick around long enough last time for me to tell you.” 

“Fair.” _I did all but run from his house._

“Look Will, it’s… it’s pretty bad. You remember Freddy Lounds?” 

“How could I not?” Will sighed, she was one of the worst people he had ever had the pleasure of meeting. She often snooped around his property and had always been a thorn on his side. The feeling was mutual, considering how she used every given opportunity to all but call him insane in any of her ‘Tattlecrime’ articles. 

“She’s taken to calling him the ‘Chesapeake Woods Ripper.’” Will felt a chill up his spine at that, Chesapeake was the name of the part of the woods he was currently living in. 

“I thought the victims were still missing?” 

“You know she has a habit of twisting the truth. She has the whole towns rapt attention at this point.” He heard a inhale of breath. “But yes, so far there have been a total of 10 disappearances that we know of this year, three of them being from this month. But… We know they’re dead.” 

“Why’s that?”

“Their clothing is always left behind, hell, even their shoes and jewelry. And every single time they have been bloodied and torn to ribbons.”

“But no bodies?”

“Not even a single damn hair.” Jack hissed. 

“Hmm…” Will mulled over Jacks words. The jewelry hasn’t been taken, meaning that this killer was more focused on the actual person rather than their material wealth. But the fact the clothes had been stripped off the bodies means two things; the killer wants people to know what, and who, he's taken, and that he’s doing something with the bodies. 

_But what? What was he trying to do?_

“Have you checked to see if the victims have anything in common?”

“Yes, but they’re all completely different from each other. Appearance, gender, age, none of it seems to matter to this guy. They just… Disappear, like smoke.”

_Red mist against the backdrop of autumn morning, rumpled clothes where the once breathing stilled and fell into the dead leaves, finding no shelter there from the thing that tore them apart._

Will’s mind swallowed down the intrusive thought like bile rising at the back of his throat. 

“Will?”

“Yeah, i’m here. Just… trying to put this together.”

“Don’t worry, once we’re settled at Lecters I’ll fill you in as much as I can. Okay?” 

_Meaning he’ll shove the guilt so far into my head it’ll be like I killed them._

“Okay.” Will parroted back, slumping down on the edge of his bed hopelessly. He could feel Winston's eyes watching his back and the cold dampness of his nose as he sniffed his wings. 

When Jack hung up, Will gave himself a moment to recover from the taste of darkness before he got up to resume his task. 

……………………………………………….

It wasn’t until much later in the day that Will remembered he still didn’t have a ride. 

He considered calling Beverly, but he hated the idea of her driving for nearly a whole day just to help him. He considered asking Jack if he could squeeze him into the car, but the drive would be incredibly uncomfortable given Winston would also have to be squeezed into the back seat. He considered ordering a ride, but no one in town dared to step into the woods, let alone go up to the Lecter’s place. 

So, without much choice, he ended up calling Hannibal. Who seemed more than happy to give him a ride. 

It surprised him even further to see the Doctor outside his door within the next half hour after their call. 

_How the hell does he get here so fast?_

“Good evening Will, I hope you don't mind my sudden appearance, I Just so happened to have finished up with a client of mine in town before you called me.” They smiled at one another as Will beckoned him inside.

“That’s fine. But uh, I wasn’t planning on leaving until tomorrow morning.” Will muttered, somewhat self conscious of the only bag he bothered to pack, swinging it from arm to arm and feeling the way Hannibal's eyes watched the motion like a pendulum. 

“Are you still packing?”

“Er, no, i’m not. Just… It’s- Nevermind. I’m ready if you are.” He managed a smile then, but the look on the doctors face told him it didn’t look as genuine as he wanted it too.

“Will, Do you still feel anxious about coming to my home?” 

“No, I-”

“Do you still feel terror at being surrounded by strangers in a closed off place?”

“...”

“I have never lied to you Will, I can assure you that I mean it when I say you are truly welcome there.”

“...” 

He knew Hannibal’s tone to be sincere, he was genuinely happy that Will would be coming. 

He just didn’t understand why.

“...I know.” He managed to say after a moment, voice small and head lowered. He watched Hannibal’s shoes glide across the floor as he moved closer. He clutched the bag like the barrier it was before he looked up into his maroon eyes that showed him a distorted view of himself in their dark pits.

“Do you?” Hannibal's head tilted then, a questioning stance as the two accessed one another. 

“Yes.” Will was proud of how sure and steady his voice sounded then, the fond look in the doctors eye only deepened the feeling before Winston came barreling into the room excitedly, ending the strange atmosphere in the room. 

Hannibal bent down to fondly rub the dogs ears before looking back up at will with an expression that made his wings flutter against his back and his face grow warm.

_Shit… do I actually like this guy?_

He immediately shut that thought down with a solid blinking of his eyelids, like closing shutters to keep out the blinding sun. When he opened them again, Hannibal was standing, and the thought was gone.

“Are you sure you don’t need anything else before we depart?” 

“Yeah… I only packed what I needed.” His fishing gear and few personal items remained untouched, both out of necessity and because he didn’t want to move them somewhere they didn’t belong.

_Besides, It’s not like anyone will be stupid enough to come out here just to rob me._

With one final parting glance to the place that had protected him from the outside world, Will departed side by side with a new friend, the late autumn air nipping closely at their heels as the sun slowly set over the horizon, giving the trees the appearance of jail bars reaching high above them.  
…………………………………………………..

{Several hours before}

Hannibal was drawing in his rather extravagant parlour when Misha Lecter pushed open the heavy oak door and quickly bounded over to where her brother was sitting by the fire.

“Good morning dear Misha, Did you sleep well?” She giggled, practically bouncing on her heels in excitement. Like a child waiting for their parents to wake up on christmas. The shadows of the stag antlers mounted above them draped across her cheek like a curled hand.

“Is he here yet?” 

“Not yet, I promise, he’ll be here as early as tomorrow.” He laughed, putting aside his sketchpad and reaching down to smooth her blonde curls. She puffed up her cheeks and pouted at his response before wacking his leg with her tiny fists. He chuckled at her blatant rudeness, knowing it was more out of excitement than anger.

“Now Misha, remember your manners.” The toddler in question looked down guiltily before looking up at him with her baby blue eyes. 

“Sorry…” 

“I know. Now go get dressed, breakfast will be ready shortly.” He leaned down so she could kiss his cheek before she all but ran from the room. He watched where she slipped through the door for a moment before turning back to his sketchbook and picked back up where he left off. He was glad Misha was so excited to meet Will, she was often stuck in the manor so didn't get to socialize as much as he would have liked. But was glad that isolation hadn’t developed into shyness like he feared. She was a little social butterfly whenever he had guests over, they all adored her too.

Which was good, she’d need social skills for the days to come. It was a good idea to ask Will to bring his dog with him as well, Misha always did love animals. 

_Ah, Will._

He found his thoughts drift once more to ponder the Empath he had been spending his nights with. Remembering how his eyes were the loveliest shade of blue, like that of a frozen lake with infinite depth. His fingers twitched against the paper at the memory of holding his sleeve up to access his wound, how Will had all but shied away from his touch. More so out of experience than fear. He had never been afraid of him, he would have smelled it on him if he was.

No, instead, Will smelled of the way the earth did after a light rain, of dead leaves and a dark wildness underneath it all. It beckoned Hannibal to him, urged him to dip his hands under the cold water to see what he could catch in its depths. It was a strange and curious thing to be so invested in someone who was practically a stranger. He wondered if Will felt the same.

_All in due time._

Another knock at the door broke him out of his thoughts, quickly relaxing his hands which had been digging into the arms of his chair before he allowed Francis Dolarhyde the honor of his company.

“Hello sir, I have come back with the knowledge of a name.” Francis was a very quiet, very large man, something often mistaken for shyness in other people. But Hannibal was not other people.

“Tell me.” 

“Reba Graham. Sir.” Francis had a habit of enunciating certain letters in his words, a trait he had picked up when he was relearning to speak after a certain… incident that had disfigured and left him mute for a time.

“Reba Graham…” Hannibal's mouth curled over the words like he was tasting their worth, which Francis knew he most likely was. “I see, Thank you Francis.”

He watched with cold calculation as Francis’s scarred cheeks reddened before he bowed respectfully. Taking his leave without a word. There was no need for pleasantries between them, Hannibal liked his frankness. 

Now alone, he quietly receded into what Misha had dubbed his ‘mind palace’ (It was a silly name for something so complex, but he hadn’t the heart to tell her that) And began to assemble this new information into catalogues of memory to further assuage their worth. 

Reba Graham had to be found, that much was clear. 

He didn’t know if he could stop himself from tearing her apart with his teeth if he ever met her. But no matter. 

Looking down, he lightly caressed the fresh drawing of a curly haired man in the throughs of a nightmare. His eyes flickered between their normal maroon color to a vicious red as he traced the shape of two luscious wings falling over the side of the bed onto the leaf covered floor below. He wondered what they’d look like speckled in blood. 

Alone with his thoughts, he smiled. Plans of a hopeful future unraveled themselves like vast dark wings the color of shadow behind him.


	6. Sveikas sugrįžęs namo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sveikas sugrįžęs namo= Lithuanian for Welcome Home  
> The Manor finally makes an appearance! Hope you guys are as excited as I am!  
> Please leave a comment and tell me your thoughts!   
> (Also, I didn't remember till someone pointed out that Dolarhyde is also called the tooth fairy when I added him in the story. I don't know if I'm an idiot or a genius...)

Calling Hannibal's home a mansion seemed to be a bit of an understatement. 

The ride took them much deeper into the woods than Will had ever been before, It was both nerve wrecking and thrilling considering the reasons he was going there. He and Hannibal had exchanged some small talk during the first two hours of the trip, but gradually lulled into a comfortable silence further accentuated by the classical music coming softly from the radio.

Will felt comfortable, far more so than whenever he and Hannibal had lounged in his living room during the past week. It didn’t help that the ridiculously comfortable car seats were heated either, They made his wings lax against his back from the alien warmth. A glance into the back told him that Winston had already succumbed to the travel exhaustion. Will’s own eyes had started to droop closed as well. But, not wanting to be a bad guest, forced himself to stay awake during as much of the trip as he could to keep Hannibal company. If his travel companion was tired, he didn’t show it. 

_Maybe he’s just a night owl._

The sun had just started to peek over the grey horizon when they neared the large mountain that made up the Lecter residence. Will would feel his jaw drop at the sight of just how vast the estate truly was. He had heard rumors sure, but nothing could have prepared him for seeing the real thing. 

_Holy shit, this place is a fucking castle._

The very structure of the place seemed as though it couldn't decide to be Victorian or Baroque in nature, large cobblestone walls were complimented by large marble roman columns on either side. The roofs were curved and painted black, same as the rest of the place, with tall, intricately designed stained glass windows that reflected soft yellows and inks in the morning light. It reminded Will of the Collinwood Manor from that old ‘Dark Shadows’ show he used to watch as a kid. He would have laughed in disbelief if he wasn’t so exhausted. Strangely, the backside of the manor seemed to be partially submerged into the rock of the mountain just behind it, like someone had scooped a chunk of the land away and plopped the estate into the space that remained, he suspected that there was much more to the building that had been carved into the rock. Around them were the tallest trees Will had ever seen, possibly redwood, with dark branches that reached and sheltered the manor from the rest of the world. It was the most beautiful building Will had ever seen in his life. 

“Hannibal… This is…” Will trailed off, unsure what to even say in a situation like this. His anxiety had grown side by side with his amazement upon seeing a real-life miracle of architecture. It was overwhelming, intimidating, and enamoring all at the same time. A look at his host told him the man was immensely pleased with his reaction.

“Amazing, isn’t it? My Father’s father had this place made out of love for his late wife. Every stone and plank carries the heavy burden of a lost love that has withstood the passage of time.” 

Hannibal’s voice was somber when he spoke, as though he had told this story many times over the years.

“You lived here your whole life?” 

“Yes, I was raised with intricate knowledge of every aspect of this place. As a young boy I had a hobby of wandering the grounds in my free time. Even still, there are many secrets here that even I am not aware of.” Will smiled, envisioning a much younger version of the doctor wandering the macabre estate. It faltered momentarily at the thought of him doing it alone however.

“Were you alone often during your explorations?”

“For the first few years, yes, but then I started taking Misha recently once she was old enough to walk.”

The car slowed to a stop in front of the grand entrance, waking Winston at the noticeable change in speed. He poked his head up to nudge a cold nose to Wills arm, he affectionately patted his head in assurance before he caught Hannibal staring.

“Um, where should I… I mean- Where will Winston be staying?” He asked, feeling a bit self conscious. Hannibal laughed quietly, before stepping out of the car over to Will’s side. The empaths eyes widened when Hannibal opened the side door for him courteously. 

“T-Thank you.” He stammered, feeling his cheeks grow hot as he stepped out of the car. Turning, he opened the back to retrieve a very grateful Winston who immediately stretched against the lush grass. 

The thudding of small feet was the only warning Will got before a small body collided with his legs, making him yelp embarrassingly in surprise. Looking down, he saw a very small child wrapping like an octopus around his legs in a tight hug. Her hair was unkempt and she wore fluffy blue pajamas, telling him she had just woken up.

“You're here, You're really here!” She yelled excitedly as she beamed up at him. Will could feel both her excitement and happiness seep into him through their points of contact. He smiled, unable to keep from mirroring her mood. _It wasn’t everyday someone was this happy to see him._ Though he couldn’t help but wonder why she was so ecstatic. 

“Ah, Hello there, you must be Misha. I’m Will Graham.” He greeted, which only seemed to make the toddler even more excited.

“I know you Mr. Graham! ‘Annibal talked about you a lot since-”

“Misha dear.” Hannibal interrupted, gently crowbarring her away from a very red faced Will and into his arms. “Will here is our dear guest, he needs to rest before you can play with him. We had a very long journey.” She pouted, clearly disappointed at this news before looking down at where Winston was stationed next to Will. She gasped, clearly just realizing he was there. Will’s heart warmed at the sight of her face lighting up like the Moon. 

“A puppy! You didn’t tell me a puppy was coming!” She squirmed excitedly in Hannibal's arms, nearly being dropped as she struggled to be put down. Will crouched down to her level once she was dumped unceremoniously on the ground. “Can I pet him? Please?”

“You can, His name’s Winston.” She held her hand out for him, which Winston sniffed before nearly bounding towards her in equal excitement, clearly happy at having someone besides Will to play with. Winston happily ran around the yard, eagerly followed from behind by a surprisingly fast Misha. The two men watched them for a bit, before Will had to stifle a yawn. 

“Shall I show you to your room? Winston will be alright with her for the time being.” Hannibal said after a moment of watching Will attempt to fight off his drowsiness.

“Yes please.”   
…………………………………………………………..

The Inside of the estate was just as impressive as the outside. The front hallway opened into a vast front hallway with two twin staircases carpeted in red rugs leading up into the second floor. It had a warm, almost homey feel that contrasted heavily with the cold and rather intimidating outside. Beautiful and macabre paintings in Baroque style covered nearly every wall. All of it seemed to frame and accentuate the only window in the room, A stained antique glass window took up almost the entire wall on the second floor, depicting what appeared to be the very town Will had grown up in, the Lecter manor etched high above it, almost casting the town in its shadow as the sun peaked over the highest portion of the roof. Due to the time of day, the morning sun created a lovely glow of reds and blues across the hallway. It took Will’s breath away to look at it. He felt a desperate urge to free his wings and see how the light played against the membranes. He turned towards his host to kill the thought, but was surprised to see Hannibal staring intently at his reaction.

“It’s gorgeous Hannibal. Do the other rooms have this much emotion put into them?” Will asked, forcing himself to look away from the doctors face, focusing instead on the streaks of blue light caressing the other mans sharp cheek. The shape of it changing as his host spoke.

“You will find that almost every room has a different emotion to convey. But this room was believed to be his favorite.” He was standing so very close to him now, Will could practically feel the warmth radiating off of the other man next to him. It was surprising how much Will wanted to lean into him at this very moment, but he refrained. Chalking it up to his own exhaustion affecting his thoughts. He didn’t see how Hannibal’s hand twitched, how his maroon eyes lingered on Will’s neck and cheek and memorized the way the light moved against his dark curls lovingly. Nor how Hannibal moved minutely closer towards him as he took in the glass artwork overhead with wide eyes. 

Will held his bag tightly to himself as they made their way up the winding staircase. Hannibal spoke often of various paintings and sculptures they passed by in the seemingly endless hallway in such a way that made Will hang onto his every word. Eventually, they arrived at a heavy oak door nestled near the back of the hall. Hannibal glanced back at Will briefly before he opened the door. 

The first word to come to Wills mind was ‘Nest’ when describing the room. The bed took up most of the provided space against the farthest wall. Adorned with baby blue satin sheets and pillows that looked more expensive than Will’s entire bed. Encasing it was a thin blue curtain that provided privacy from the outside. There wasn’t much else within the room besides various paintings and a rather expensive looking heater. There was only one other door in the room that he looked at curiously. 

_I’ll explore later..._

“Please make yourself at home. I will come for you when the others arrive. Please don’t be afraid to fetch me if you need anything.” Hannibal said as he stood at the door. Only a hairs fraction away from the entrance of what Will would now be calling his room. 

“Um… Thank you very much. If it’s alright, may I make a request?” The empath fidgeted nervously, Strengthening his death grip on his bag and prayed that he didn’t say anything offensive. The doctor smiled warmly at him, calming his nerves. 

“Anything.” 

“During my stay here. I don’t want anyone coming into my room whenever I’m in here. I- er- I’m very particular about my privacy.” 

“I assure you, No one will step foot in this room without your permission. There is also a lock on the door if you truly need it.” He said gently, gesturing to a very heavy looking lock high up on the door. Will sighed, immensely relieved. 

“Um, later on, can you show me where the laundry room is? I, uh, like doing my sheets a certain way too.” Will didn’t need anyone asking questions about the weird powder on the sheets and towels. 

_This is so goddamn awkward…_

“Of course, But you don’t have to worry about that until later. Please, rest.” With a polite nod, Hannibal closed the door, leaving Will alone. He waited a moment, listening for any footsteps in the hallway before he placed his bag down on the bed and made his way over to lock the door.

He had to stretch for it, but was immediately overcome with exhaustion and relief once he was safely locked in. 

With a groan, he all but tore off his shirt and binder, pulling out a few towels from his bag to lay on as he collapsed dramatically into the bed. He gasped at feeling the impossible softness of the sheets against his cheek. The bed was otherworldly with how comfortable it was, the only conscious thought he had before drifting into a dead sleep was that the pillows smelled of lavender.  
………………………………………………………………………

Hannibal listened intently on the other side of Will’s door until he heard the tell tale signs of sleep before he made his way down the hallway. He was glad Will took to sleep so quickly, he seemed quite exhausted on the ride up here. 

_Hopefully the lavender will prevent any nightmares as well._

Turning the corner, he looked out one of the many stained windows along the hallway into the grass outside. Misha had caught Winston at some point, both of them sprawled out in the cool grass. She lay on top of the poor creature triumphantly, her limbs sprawled out as she affectionately pet him. The dog in question didn’t seem to mind the overzealous affection, if anything was ecstatic for it if the heavy thumping of his tail was any indicator. 

Smiling, he noted how Misha’s fuzzy white moth wings had escaped from her pajamas in her excitement. They fluttered happily in the early morning sun. 

_That won't do dear Misha, we wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise just yet now would we?_

He decided to allow it for now, Will was asleep after all, and the other guests would not be arriving for several hours. It reminded him he still had various matters to take care of before the night was upon them. As he walked down the grand hall, he chuckled at how Will had not noticed the absence of any staff in his sleep deprived state. He looked forward to the events that were soon to unfold. 

His court will surely adore the Empath, beings like them with the gift of insight into the soul of others were extremely rare. He could already envision many of them sneaking through the crowd in the hopes of getting a dance. 

_Not that I’d ever allow it._

The thought of someone besides him dancing with dear William first nearly evaporated all the mirth that Will’s company had graciously given him. Nearly. 

He turned, taking a few long strides towards Will’s door before he remembered himself and his duties. 

“Francis.” 

The man appeared immediately at the very utterance of his name. Pulling his broad shoulders in submissively and bowing deeply at the waist. Giving the doctor a glimpse of his rather impressive tattoo peeking out from beneath his collar. 

As well as the many scars that it covered.

“Yes sir?” The ‘S’ was enunciated with careful effort.

“What is the location of Jack Crawford and Alana Bloom at this moment?” 

“They have just entered their car. They are to arrive by late afternoon.” 

“Keep an eye on them until they arrive. Once my court begins to arrive I want them separated.”

“Yes sir. Does Mr. Graham need anything?”

“Just his rest, I gave him my word no one is to step in his room at any time without his permission. If he comes looking for me before I come to wake him, lead him to me.”

“Yes sir.” 

Once Francis departed to do his tasks, Hannibal left to rest in his own room for a short while. 

The room he had decided to call his own just so happened to be directly next to the Empaths. He closed his eyes at the sound of Will’s steady breaths as he rested, the sound lulling him like the tide. He imagined the way Will’s skin would move over his ribs as he breathed, how his neck would spasm and twitch with the thrum of his heartbeat when he slept. The lovely curves and blues of his wings when they fluttered every so often in his sleep. 

_Just how lovely can you be Sweet William?_

He wanted so desperately to comfort him, to march to his room to hold him tight and never let go. Show him the world he had been deprived of for so long and tell him that he'd never be alone again. His anger sparked momentarily at the thought of Reba Graham. She had insulted him greatly, she had deprived their court and himself of the gift that was Will Graham, she had abandoned her own child to explore the world. 

_It won't be long now till we find her._

But until then, Hannibal will do everything in his power to ensure Will’s safety within his home from both the Court and the human guests. He will make it known at the Ball that Will has his Favor. 

For now, he simply enjoyed the sounds of life from the room adjacent to his own. His heartbeat mirrored that of the Empaths as he graciously drifted off to sleep.   
…………………………………………………………………...

Francis Dolarhyde held great respect for Hannibal. 

Everyone in the court knew of what happened to him, how he was transformed into something greater than what his body could withstand. They were afraid of him, whispered behind his back both out of pity and fear. 

But they didn’t matter, not when compared to Hannibal. 

He had understood him like no one else did, he helped him _Transform._

He was allowed free reign of the Lecter estate, in turn he did every job given to him meticulously and sometimes ruthlessly. He had gained a bit of a reputation for being something of a neat freak. His room in the manor especially was no exception to this rule. It was mostly baron, save for one large painting he treated with precious care. ‘The Great Red Dragon and The Woman Clothed With the Sun’ was his most prized treasure, as it showed his very Becoming that he had engraved into his back. 

Currently, he admired that very engraving he now had in his back in his bathroom mirror. The tattoo truly was a work of art, it encompassed most of his back, the pain didn’t even come close to the ecstasy he felt at merely catching a glimpse of it. 

He ignored the ugly black stumps where his wings had been torn off in favor of admiring the design that covered it. 

_Not long now till they become real._

He thought of his Lords new fixation; the Lost One named Will Graham. Hannibal told him that he had the ability to feel what others felt, nearly becoming them in the process. He wondered what this Will would think if he witnessed his greatness, if he would react with the same fondness as Hannibal had.

_Surely he would, if anyone could see the Dragon. it would be him._

As he felt his scarred cheeks pull up into a grimace, He watched as the Red Dragon smiled back at him proudly from the mirror. Its sharp black teeth glistening beautifully in the light.


	7. Paruoštas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> paruoštas= Prepared
> 
> Man, this chapter took a while to write! please leave a comment and tell me your thoughts!

Will woke up slowly to the fresh scent of lavender and the feel of silken sheets entangling him in a rather cozy cocoon of warmth.

He yawned, popping his back and stretched lazily. Wings fluttering happily behind him, Having only a few moments of contentment before he remembered where he was and sat up with a start. A quick glance at a nearby (And rather expensive looking) antique clock told him he had only managed to sleep for a little under three hours. A quick survey around the room told him he was still, thankfully, alone. Though he felt rather strange waking up without any dogs around like he was used to, the bed feeling much emptier without them.

_I hope Winston’s behaving himself..._

He stood, looking down in surprise at the sheets and towels that appeared barren of any of his usual wing powder. Maybe it’s because I didn’t sleep for that long? Whatever the case, It was a relief to him he didn’t have to worry about that just yet. But still, the situation he had found himself in was odd now that he had a chance to properly think it over. He had been too exhausted when they first arrived to really question why he hadn’t seen anyone else in the ‘castle’ besides Hannibal and Misha, from what he had heard of the Lecters, they were a bit of a large family.

_Maybe we got here too early and everyone's still asleep? But I would have thought with the sheer size of this place there'd be at least a few employees working at that hour…_

Shaking his head dismissively, he made quick work of getting dressed into a new shirt with the same binder and pants as earlier before he found the courage to open the door. The hinges were well oiled, not creaking like he worried they would as he warily glanced to both ends of the hallway. He didn’t see anyone on either ends of the passage, (Whose oak floors were covered by beautiful Indian rugs lined with red tassels) so he took a few careful steps out of his room and began to peruse the nearby paintings that bordered the intricately designed tinted windows. 

The paintings themselves appeared to depict various macabre scenes of both Roman and Greek origin. As he wandered, he saw a whole menagerie of gods and goddesses in the midst of troubling various mortal men. But one painting near the end of the hall had drawn his attention the most in just how much it had stuck out. The scene depicted what seemed to be a celebration of some kind for a Roman royal, but what had caught Wills attention the most was the rather chaotic and beautiful mess of rose petals that seemed to smother the unsuspecting guests beneath. 

“I see you are fond of _‘The Roses of Heliogabalus’_ as well?” The sudden sound of Hannibal's voice mere inches behind him made Will nearly jump a mile in surprise. He turned, embarrassed, to see the man in question looking at him with a tight smile. 

“G-good morning Dr. Lecter.” 

“Good morning Will, I was just coming to wake you for breakfast. Though I regret not allowing you to sleep for longer.”

“Oh that's alright, I’m feeling pretty well rested at the moment so don’t worry.” Will said apologetically before turning back to the painting. He felt Hannibal move beside him, close enough to touch if Will so much as twitched. He found he didn’t mind it as they both took in the romanticized cruelty the art depicted. 

“What is the story behind this one?” He asked curiously after a minute of heavy silence. He heard Hannibal laugh and looked up at him expectantly. 

“This work was originally painted in 1888 by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema. It illustrates the moment in which Emperor Elagabalus, who was 14 when he was given power over Rome, smothering his guests with countless rose petals during a dinner party.” Flashing that secretive smile again at Will.

“I thought in the original story he used violets?” 

“You are also a fan of Roman History?” He sounded immensely pleased with that information. “It is often debated what sort of flowers he used in the massacre, The roses here were Tadema’s own personal interpretation. He even bought hundreds of roses in order to make the petals as realistic as possible.”

“A romantic and a perfectionist? Those traits hardly go hand in hand.” Will muttered, spotting a few somber faces within the petals showing the people beneath, imagining his face within the chaos. 

_It seems like it would be a lot easier to choke on violets rather than roses._

“I beg to differ, romantics often place great pride in surrounding themselves with the most beautiful of things. They covet that which is perfect in its uniqueness, I myself am no different.” Will could feel his eyes in him as he said that last bit, its heat like the summer sun and made his face grow warm. He cleared his throat to hide his reaction, turning away from his companion to look down the hallway. 

_Calm the hell down, he’s just being polite._

“Did Misha already eat?” 

“Not yet, we wanted to wait for you.” 

_We?_

“I hope Winston behaved himself during my absence.”

“I assure you he was very well behaved, I can hardly pry Misha off of him anymore.” They both laughed at that, Hannibal's smile lazy with sleep. Will, in a strange show of bravery, made eye contact with him and marveled at their strange coloring. They were a rich golden brown which, with the light coming in through the stained glass, appeared almost red in hue. It reminded him of the strange apparition he had been seeing for the past week. Hannibal seemed equally interested in his eyes too, a strange ‘something’ moving between them. He blinked, and the moment was gone. 

Hannibal seemed much closer than he was before if that was even possible.

“Come, you must be famished.” Hannibal said, voice low and almost breathy in Wills ear. Before he could react however, Hannibal backed away and motioned for him to follow. With a red face, Will followed closely behind. Never taking his eyes off the other man's back despite the vast assortment of art around them, and wondered what it would be like to touch him.

………………………………………………….

“Morning Mr. Graham!” 

Will looked away from Hannibal's back to see Misha already seated at the large table. Her tiny legs swinging excitedly beneath her. He smiled and waved, following Hannibal to where he was politely seated across from her and to Hannibal's right. The doctor was, of course, at the head of the table, and made no move to sit until Will got a good look at the sheer abundance of food in front of them. 

Will’s jaw dropped at the breakfast display in front of him in disbelief. Every sort of breakfast food he knew of and more was piled high on every plate, complementing a rather large set of black deer antlers in the middle that served as the centerpiece. Muffins, pancakes, bacon, sausages and countless more foods he couldn't possibly name were cooked to pristine condition, his stomach grumbled at the smells alone. Misha’s plate was already crowded with a bit of everything, while Hannibal's plate was surprisingly bare. Will raised a brow in question, but Hannibal smiled politely and ushered for Will to help himself. He followed Misha's example, grabbing a few sausages and muffins before placing one of the links in his mouth. He groaned at the flavor that coated his tongue when it popped in his teeth. The taste was divine, unlike anything he had eaten before. The self satisfied smile he noticed on the doctor made him realize he must have seen his reaction, his hooded maroon eyes watching him eat with ravenous attention.

“Thank you for breakfast.” 

“My pleasure Will, Though I apologize for the rather plain dishes, I’m better at making diner meals than anything else.” 

“You consider this plain?” Will exclaimed, disbelief evident in his voice. Misha giggled across from him at his reaction.

“‘Annibal’s a chief Mr. Graham, but he doesn't like being called that.” She spoke in a mock whisper, one hand cupped over her mouth to project her voice further. Will felt his cheeks tighten in a suppressed smile at Hannibal's frustrated expression.

“Please Misha, I just like having our meals to be of good quality. What would Mother say if I was feeling you _cereal_ while they were away?” He said ‘cereal’ like it was a bad word, making Will and Misha laugh aloud. They resumed eating, occasionally Will answered her questions about his life as well as he could without revealing the more gruesome details. Winston, who was surprisingly quiet under the table, would be snuck scraps by the toddler every now and then when she thought her brother wasn’t looking. Something in Will’s chest twisted at how domestic the moment was.

_This must be what family meals are like..._

“Mr. Graham? Are you full?” Misha asked when Will hadn’t touched his plate for a few minutes, worry wrinkling her brow. He smiled reassuringly at her.

“Yes, It was delicious.” He laughed at her rather exaggerated relieved face. “You can call me Will, I prefer that over Graham.” 

“Why?”

“No real reason.” He didn’t want to explain that it reminded him too much of his father. “It just sounds better.”

“Hmm…” She seemed to mull it over. “Okay Mr. Will.” 

“Just Will’s fine.”

“Nah.” 

_Well alright then._

“Misha, manners please.” Hannibal chided over his still empty plate. Clearly amused at the exchange. She pouted momentarily at him before looking at the empath mischievously. 

“You know, ‘Annibal wants to dance with you tonight.” 

“Misha!” 

“It’s true!” She protested, not noticing how Will almost choked on his food. 

“Sir, Jack Crawford and Alana Bloom have arrived.” Will turned to the voice, and was surprised to see a very large and muscular man in a butlers tux at the door. It was almost funny if it wasn’t for the mans very serious, and heavily scarred, face. Misha seemed to sober at his appearance, sitting up straighter and looking down at her plate shyly. 

“Thank you Francis, I shall go greet them. See to it Will and Misha are comfortable during my absence.” 

“Yes sir.” 

Hannibal, after exchanging a strange look with ‘Francis’ bowed politely to Will before he practically glided through the door. Francis moved just as quietly till he was a few feet from Will and Misha. Looking down submissively at the ground. 

“Hello.” The Empath said after a moment, 

“Hello Mr. Graham, Is there anything you need at the moment?” 

“Erm, no. I’m fine thank you.” 

“Will.” Misha murmured quietly from where she was dissecting a muffin with her fork. “He prefers to be called Will.” 

_I guess Misha doesn’t like this guy all that much._ Not that he could blame her, the man was terribly awkward and stiff to conversation. Not to mention his rather intimidating frame. But Will wasn’t one to judge someone for their antisocial behavior, he was something of a hermit himself after all. So, with a polite smile, he turned to resume eating much to Misha's delight.

He didn’t want to think about how much he already missed Hannibal’s company. 

…………………………………………………………

Hannibal returned a few minutes later with a very exhausted looking Jack and Alana, Will suspected they must have fought in the car based on the occasional glare Alana sent the mans way behind his back. Both of them looked at Will in surprise, clearly not expecting him to already be there.

“Will? How did you get here so early?” Alana asked once Hannibal seated her next to Will with Jack across from them. 

“I drove him here early this morning.”

“You didn’t have to do that.” Jack said, clearly aghast at the thought of the man dealing with Will by himself. He glared daggers at Will who feigned interest in the remaining scraps on his plate so he didn’t have to make eye contact. Misha, oblivious, happily greeted the two newcomers with a wave and a smile. Their previous irritation seemed to evaporate at the sight of such an adorable child, as though their horrible drive up here didn’t happen.

_Wish I could diffuse Jack like that…_

“This looks delicious Hannibal, thank you.” Alana said, a light blush erupting on her cheeks as she smiled at Hannibal through her eyelashes. The food Will ate churned in his stomach when he recognized the signs of affection in her eyes for the man.

“What kind of host would I be if I could not provide for my guests?” The smile did not reach his eyes as he spoke, something only Will seemed to notice.

“Mr. Crawford, you and Will are cops right?” Misha asked after a rather large bite of bacon. Jack nearly choked on his bite of sausage at the sudden question.

“Well, yes, something like that.” 

“Are you here to figure out what happened to Molly?” 

Silence filled the room at that. A careful glance over to Hannibal told Will she must have been one of the victims of his tight grip on the chair had anything to say about it. When he noticed Will staring, he explained. 

“Molly was Misha’s caretaker. She vanished some time ago which is one of the reasons I felt it so urgent to have you all come here.” 

_Ah, that explains it. He was worried since it happened so close to his sister._

“We should save this discussion for later.” Alana interjected much to everyone's relief. “Misha, Is that your dog?” 

Winston's nose had sneaked out from under the table while no one was looking. Misha happily pat his head before responding with her usual cheeriness.

“His name’s Winston, Will brought him with him! Isn’t he cute?” 

“You brought a dog.” Jack’s voice was flat, glaring once again at Will who was now feeling very small. 

“He was my plus one.” Will eventually said in reflection of their earlier conversation. Jacks face reddened in anger and the empath braced himself for the onslaught. Only to be rescued in a way by their host. 

“I asked Will to bring his canine companion, I felt it would help alleviate any stress he would gain during his stay.”

“But still, Him bringing a dog here seems a bit-”

“I like Winston!” Misha cut in, clearly offended. “He’s a very good boy!” 

Will smiled thankfully at her before turning back to Jack with a ‘what can ya do?’ gesture. His boss still didn’t seem happy, but one look at Hannibals face had him shoving more food into his mouth in resignation. To Will’s surprise, he felt Alana’s hand on his shoulder. 

_-Concern- sadness- affection- regret- worry- pity-_

She gave him a small smile before freeing Will of her touch. He knew she was only trying to show him she was sorry for Jack's outburst, but he still didn’t like the onslaught of pity that radiated off of her for him. He rubbed the spot on his arm where she grabbed him before nodding in thanks. They resumed their meal with light conversation throughout.

Hannibal exchanged a look with Francis and, without a word, the dragon vanished unnoticed to do as he was asked.

……………………………………………………….

After they ate, Hannibal had a bit of a surprise for them. 

“I have already taken the liberty of placing your outfits in your rooms. I hope you don’t mind the intrusion.” He said as he led the group to their adjacent rooms. Misha went off with Winston to go get ready in her own room. 

“Not at all!” Alana spoke quickly, trying her damndest to charm the doctor. “I was wondering when we would be getting ready. Does this party have a theme by chance?” 

“Why yes, It will be a masked party as per my family's tradition. The theme this year will be horror stories. I have put great consideration into your characters and hope you enjoy what I have picked.” He bowed to Alana when they neared what was apparently her room. Kissing her knuckles briefly before he made his way further down the hall towards Jacks room. Will glanced back at where Alana was clutching her hand to her chest. Her eyes were glossed over as if dazed, all rosy cheeks and parted lips, it made Wills jaw clench at the sight and he quickly turned away. 

Jack grabbed Will once they neared his door to whisper in his ear so Hannibal couldn’t hear. 

“Will, I understand that you’re not exactly… ‘sociable’, but don’t ruin this for us. Hannibal is a very powerful man as you may know. I want him to continue working for us, so don’t get too… close.” 

_Well fuck you too Jack._ He wanted to yell, instead opting to clench his fists at the onslaught of righteous fury coming off the man that his empathy soaked up like a sponge. As well as the thoughts that told Will just how little faith Jack had in him to act like a sane person.

“I’m not a child Jack. Nothing I’ve done so far has upset him.” Will said with clenched teeth, noticing how Hannibal was watching their exchange with a cold expression. He swore he saw red flash in his eyes but it was gone before he could confirm for sure. 

“Jack, If you would be so kind.” The doctor said with his usual tone, ushering for Jack to enter his room before turning his attention to the empath that was currently shaking with quiet rage that wasn't entirely his own. 

“Is everything alright Will?” 

“Yes.” He sighed, forcing his anger as being talked down to disappear with a long breath. “Jack's just worried I won’t behave during your lavish party.” 

Hannibal's eyes narrowed, casting a sharp glance over to Jacks door before ushering for Will to follow.

“Don’t listen to him. You are my guest just as much as they are if not more so.” He turned abruptly to face him, once again close enough to touch. “Please, don’t worry about how they perceive you. I only wish for you to enjoy yourself.”

The doctor smiled at him and, after a beat, turned to continue on towards Will’s room. It wasn’t till they were at the door that Will spoke the question that had been weighing on his mind.

“Was… what Misha said earlier true?” He said, voice quiet. “Were you going to ask me to dance with you?”

“Would you like to?” Hannibal said gently, turning to walk over to him. Will, surprised, backed away until his back became flush with the wall behind him. Lecter quickly filled the space between them, still not making contact but holding his gaze all the same. 

_Why do I want to touch him so badly?_

“I- Uh.” He stammered. “Do you… want to?”

_Please say yes._

“Very much so dear Will. I was going to ask you tonight but it seems dear Misha had beaten me to it. However, I would never pressure you to do so. I know you have a certain aversion to touch.” He still made no move to back away from him though, essentially trapping him against the wall. Will looked up at him, reading the earnestness there, and came to a decision.

“Then yes. I mean, If it’s alright. I’ll dance.” A pause. “Though I must warn you I’m not very good.” 

Hannibals face, though stone, seemed to soften at this. 

“Don’t worry about that, I’ll dance for both of us. Now come, let me give you your clothes.” It was then that Will noticed the white box at the base of his door, a silver ‘W’ engraved at the top. He took it gingerly from Hannibal's waiting hands.

“Can I ask what my character will be at least?”

“Can it not be a surprise?” Will swore he saw him wink before, with a polite nod, he closed the door. Leaving him to get ready.

_I wonder what his costume will be?_

With a sigh, he sat heavily on the plush bed. He traced the engraving of his initial before curiosity took over and he opened the box.

Only to immediately drop it on the floor in shock when he saw the faux wings within.


	8. Erlkönig

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erlkonig= Elf King (It's not a Lithuanian term, but who said we have to follow the rules?)
> 
> Sorry this chapter took so long! It had a lot of revisions but I hope the length of it makes up for it!  
> Things get a bit spicy near the end ;)

Will stared down at the spilled contents of the box numbly.

He couldn’t tell how long he just stared down at it for, maybe moments, maybe hours, but what he could tell was when his numbness abruptly turned slowly to an underlying feeling of dread that made his stomach cold, almost like he swallowed ice. His hands, which had hung limply at his sides, were now clenched so tightly he felt some blood well up from where his nails were biting into his palm. He resisted the urge to shake, not knowing if he wanted to laugh or cry.

_It’s just a coincidence, it has to be._

_Does he know? What did I do to bring suspicion?_

_Don’t panic, don’t fucking panic!_

_Just… breathe. It’s just coincidence, it has to be._

_He can’t know, it’s impossible._

Shakily, he brought a bloodied palm to his mouth and bit down anxiously on his knuckles. Afraid that if he didn’t he would start screaming. Slowly, ever so slowly, he knelt down to better look at the winged costume, almost afraid to touch it.

Within the delicate tissue paper was a truly brilliant work of tailoring. The main piece looked to be reminiscent of a very old Rococo styled three-piece white suit vest and coat with a ruffled collar and tights. It had similarly designed short pants that came up to the knee with equally colored buckle shoes with about an inch of heel. It looked to be straight out of a museum with how pristine and delicate it looked. He became lost in following the swirling ivy patterns of the coat, quickly forgetting his initial fear of the thing and picking it up delicately.

It truly was beautiful, almost unbearably so. He was worried just touching it with his hands would dirty it. (Years of experience waking up in blue stained sheets made him wary of white cloth as it was always the hardest to clean.) He breathed in deeply, detecting a strangely soothing scent coming from the clothes that he could not name, but found immensely pleasing nonetheless.

_Leave it up to a rich guy to perfume his clothes._

He put the three-piece and tights on the bed for now, turning to look at what else might have spilled out of the box when he saw it. An oddly shaped black mask jutted out from the tissue paper and he grabbed it timidly. Nearly dropping it for a second time when he saw what it was.

The top half of a black skull was staring back at him.

He had no idea what horror character this was supposed to be. _Didn’t Hannibal say this was a horror-themed party? If so, did he mean the costumes or just the setting?_ The mask was cold, probably porcelain, he was both surprised and extremely thankful it hadn’t shattered when he dropped it earlier. With a deep breath, he put the mask on and looked to a nearby mirror on one of the dressers in his room. 

His eyes stood out amidst the black surrounding it, which seemed to blend in perfectly with his messy black curls. 

Even with just the mask, he looked powerful… something confident and regal, almost otherworldly.

_Is this what Hannibal sees in me?_

He shut that thought down hard enough to give himself a headache before he decided to put the rest of the costume on. He stripped quickly, picking as newer binder from his bag to change into before he decided to try the leggings on first.

He had never worn tights before, but knew these ones likely cost more than anything he was currently wearing. They felt silken, his leg hair didn’t even stick out of them like he was worried they would and they fit him like a second layer of skin. _Can tights even be tailored?_ Whatever the case, the person he saw facing him in the mirror nearly took his breath away when he turned to look.

He looked like a prince, all ruffles and lace that hung about him in a near feminine way. His lack of stubble didn’t really help him look any older either. He had to admit though, he looked great. If his hair was longer it would have likely have been tied back with a ribbon as was the Rococo fashion.

_Alana will definitely ogle at me later. I wonder if her outfit is just as opulent as mine? Jack’ll probably joke that I look like a goddamn vampire._

He avoided looking at the wings until he managed to tie his mask back on in a way that was comfortable. 

Tentatively, he glanced down at where he left them on the floor. 

They were lovely, he’d admit that much. They seemed to be made of slightly thicker material than the tights, but were even clearer and shimmered in the light when he turned them about. Wire acted as the veins in the wings, retaining the intended shape of them. They reminded him a bit of a White satin moths, only a bit curlier and not as segmented. His own wings twinged anxiously at his back at the irony of it all. 

He didn’t really have a choice in not putting them on, what would he even say? _Yeah thanks for the ridiculously palatial styled outfit Hannibal, but the wings just aren't as pretty as my own, See?_

_See?_

_…_

_What would he think if he saw?_

“Okay brain, that’s enough.” He glared at himself in the mirror, anger replacing his earlier fear as he all but accused his reflection of putting the thought in his head. Of course he couldn’t show Hannibal his wings. He’d call him a freak, an animal. He’d drag him to the nearest lab and pull him apart for the world to see. Maybe even name his ‘species’ after himself like scientists tended to do. 

And yet…

And yet the smaller voice in his head whispered hopefully. Saying that Hannibal didn’t seem like the kind of guy to do something like that. It felt like he already knew so much about the doctor in the short time they’ve known one another, even if Will had never actually touched him. He knew it would be very unlikely that if he was discovered, Hannibal wouldn’t out him like that.

He’d consider it rude. 

A knock at the door had him flinching away from the mirror as if scalded. 

“Mr. Graham sir? Sir Lecter has requested your presence in the main hall. The guests have just started to arrive.” The careful voice of Dolarhyde outside relieved him for some reason, and he spoke with an audible waver in his voice.

“I- Tell him i’ll be right there please. Thank you for letting me know.”

“Of course sir.” Will listened for his retreating footsteps before he turned back to the mirror. He realized he was gripping the wings too tightly and quickly softened his grip before rubbing it almost apologetically. He didn’t want to keep his host waiting so, with one final look at himself, he hastily fashioned the wings onto his suit (They were clip-ons apparently, there were two loops on the coat they were meant to be tied onto) before he all but ran out the door. 

……………………………………

He didn’t realize just how nervous he was until he saw Hannibal.

He had all but ran into him in the hallway, nearly slamming into his broad frame before he managed to skid to a halt just before the impact. He looked up, an apology nearly past his lips when he heard the doctor laugh. He looked truly delighted to see the Empath, taking in his appearance in such a way that made Will feel like he was stripped bare. 

“My, my, that eager to dance?”

“N-no, I mean- yes I am- but-” Will mentally kicked himself for stuttering so much. “Sorry, I was told to meet you in the main hall, I didn’t want to keep you waiting uh, so…” 

“It’s quite alright Will, I was actually on my way to come get you. Jack and Alana have already started mingling with my… friends.” He said ‘Friends’ like he didn’t know what it meant. “You were taking a bit longer than expected and I was a bit worried.” 

“Yeah, That was my bad. I, uh…” _I was scared shitless that you somehow knew I saw a fairy._ “Lost track of the time.” 

“Hmm.” Hannibal didn’t look convinced, but he didn’t push further much to the Empaths relief. Instead, he offered his arm. Will, now wary, looked away from the doctors amused expression to his arm and back. 

“I did promise you a dance, did I not?” 

This was it, the moment Will was worried about. He was going to touch the Doctor and understand him in a way he didn’t know if he was ready for. Hannibal seemed to sense his distress, his eyes softening in that way that made Will’s heart melt.

“Will, if you don’t want to-”

“No.” Will said quickly before taking a deep breath, stepping closer to where the other man waited patiently. “I want to.” 

If smiles were currency, Hannibal’s was worth more than gold. It gave Will a surge of confidence and, before he even realized he was doing it, he had slipped his arm into the offered one and became lost.

_-Interest-hunger-sadness-proud-Hunger-patience-Hunger-H U N G E R-_

“Will?” Hannibal’s voice was soft, questioning. It snapped Will out of the others mans rather… intense feelings. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes. I’m good, just a bit… I’m fine now, thank you.” It was then that Will really got an eyeful of what exactly it was the other man was wearing. Hannibal was also in a Rococo style outfit, but where Will’s made him look like a prince, Hannibal’s made him look like a king. It was a scarlet red suit adorned with an equally colored robe that trailed behind him. On his head, large black stag horns jutted out, It reminded Will a bit of the creature of his dreams. 

On his face was a similar skull mask to Will’s own, only it was white. 

“I was wondering, what exactly are our outfits supposed to be? You said the theme was horror stories?”

“Ah.” He smiled and all but winked at him. “I suppose I should have rephrased that. The theme this year is a bit of an inside joke.” As they walked, Will faintly noticed the Heliogabalus painting over the intense onslaught of Hannibal’s hunger. 

_How could a man be so hungry?_

“How so?” Will asked, doing his best not to get distracted by the literal gaping maw of the other mans head. 

“Tell me, have you ever heard of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe?” 

“Long name.”

“Indeed. He was alive during the golden years of the Baroque period, hence the costume style.” He placed of his hands over Will’s, making his brain nearly flatline for multiple reasons. “One of my ancestors by the name of Franz was a very close friend of his. He even helped him write one of his more popular ballads. Tell me Will, do you know of the ‘Erlkonig’ story?”

“The Elf king?”

“In a way, yes.” He had that ‘almost wink’ look on his face again, it made Will want to roll his eyes. “It’s a bit of a complicated story. But to summarize, Goethe suspected my ancestry to be an Elf in human disguise. Franz thought this was hilarious, and it eventually became a bit of an in-joke to throw fairy themed parties in Goethe’s ‘honor’ so to speak every few years.”

“Meaning your family wanted to publicly ridicule the guy, right?”

“Absolutely.” Hannibal smirked, and Will laughed openly this time. They walked closely together, occasionally talking and laughing as they walked down the endless corridor. Eventually, Will could hear the growing sound of a large party downstairs.

“That was fast, It already sounds like there are so many people here.”

“They tend to all arrive around the same time, which is early.” Will swore he saw his eyes flash red again. “No one would dare be late to one of my family's parties.” 

A chill went through Will when he felt Hannibal’s hunger grow momentarily. 

“Uh, Hannibal? Have you eaten yet today?”

Hannibal didn’t stop walking per say, but Will definitely noticed a slight pause in his stride. 

“I see, you can feel that too.” 

“I did- I didn’t mean to pry-” He started to back away from Hannibal, worried he upset him. But the Doctor only seemed to strengthen his hold, pulling him in closer than before. Will found he didn’t mind the hungry ache the other man was making him feel.

“No, no dear Will, It’s alright.” He said, sliding his hand up from where it held Will’s to near his collarbone. Will’s breath hitched. “I’ll eat at the party, don’t worry.”

“Where’s Misha and Winston?”

“I’m afraid Misha insisted on making Winston ‘Dress up’” He seemed to wince at the words. “The two of them are positively glued to the hip. Though I will admit, it is a good thing Misha will have some company for the night. There are no other children present tonight besides her.” 

They had neared where the hallway intersected with the top of the stairs that led to the main hallway that Will saw when he first arrived that morning. Looking out through the stained glass, he could see the last flecks of sunlight disappear over the horizon, the trees a vast dark forest outside. Within the hall, candles were meticulously placed out of reach from passersbys. Down the stairs, the party seemed to already be in the swing of things. Men and women alike were laughing and chatting in a wide array of colorful outfits, lounging on nearby fainting couches or grabbing drinks and snacks from butlers that all but swam through the crowd. Will could just barely make out Dolarhyde bowing to two ladies dressed in matching green outfits. He could hear music playing from somewhere in the other room, something flutey and the heart tug of violin chords. It was like stepping back through time.

“Nervous?” Hannibal whispered into the shell of his ear. Will was thankful for the mask as it hid most of his blush.

“A bit… this is more people than I’ve ever seen in my life.” He admitted, being a lifetime hermit also meant this was the first actual party he’s ever been to. Hannibal locked their arms together again. Rubbing Will’s hand on his arm almost affectionately before he made both of them step forward to the very top of the stairs.

Have you ever played a movie louder than intended, only to pause it for whatever reason and realize just how loud it was due to the ringing in your ears? When the crowd took notice of them, it was like someone hit the pause button. All heads turned to them, no, to _Hannibal _expectantly. They all stood so very still that Will could hear his own heartbeat in his ears. Within the stillness was still movement however. He saw Jacks face look up at them, confused, before turning to the people around him like he didn’t understand he was supposed to also be paused. A few feet away, he could see Winston's tail wagging happily and supposed he must be with Misha (He couldn’t see her since the crowd was so dense.) Lastly, he saw Alana. Her face held that same affectionate longing as it had earlier at breakfast (brunch?) Her cheeks were rosy, her costume seemed to resemble that of a princesses from what he could tell at this distance.__

___How fitting._ _ _

__Whatever it was that happened next was a bit confusing for Will to understand. Hannibal inhaled deeply, chest rising slowly before he let out a very long breath that sounded like a mix between a sigh and a whistle, a strange 'Something' charging the air around them. That must have been the play button, because the party restarted as if nothing had happened. Will raised an eyebrow up at his companion, but the man only winked back._ _

___Best not to ask him now I guess. After the party. ____ _

____They walked down the stairs together. That seemed to be important as people went from side eyeing Hannibal to side eyeing him with renewed interest and curiosity. They didn’t stop like they had with the Doctor, but he could feel their eyes on him just the same._ _ _ _

____Strangely enough, as they walked through the crowd no one bumped into him like he worried would happen (Crowds tended to overwhelm him with the emotional onslaught. He even remembered passing out at his high school graduation.). Instead, Hannibal seemed to glide through the crowd like a hot knife through butter. Will couldn’t tell if he should be thankful people were giving them space. Or concerned._ _ _ _

____Before he could think about it too much however, Jack and Alana had managed to catch up with them._ _ _ _

____“Lovely party Hannibal. The wine is simply divine.” She said, taking another sip of the ladies glass before maneuvering herself to the side of the doctor Will wasn’t currently occupying._ _ _ _

____“I’m glad you think so, it’s an old brand from France. A favorite of my Mothers.”_ _ _ _

____“So, Feel anything from the crowd yet Will?” Jack said curtly, not noticing how, while still noisy, the crowd around them seemed angry at his interjection, almost…_ _ _ _

_____Hungry?_ _ _ _ _

____“We’ve only just arrived to the party Jack, I doubt Will has picked up anything yet. Even if he has, business before pleasure would be terribly rude.” Will could see the people around them barely suppress their laughter. It was then he noted how Jack was dressed as a harlequin, and he had to bite his own cheek to keep from laughing. His boss didn’t seem happy with that answer, but decided to leave it be when a butler (Will noticed it was Dolarhyde) arrived to their little circle with drinks. They each took one gratefully (Except Hannibal), Will swirled it around, noting the purplish hue as he gave a friendly wave towards the butler as he left. Alana started discussing something therapy related with Hannibal while Jack interjected with his own opinion every now and then (He did joke that Will looked like he came straight out of ‘interview with a Vampire’ much to Will’s aggravation) Every so often the empath noticed Misha slip through the legs of the crowd with Winston (Who was wrapped in ribbon and a large bow like a christmas present) Will had mentally checked out of the conversation eventually, the hunger of the other man taking the forefront of his attention until he caught the man in question staring at him, his eyes a strange red in the candlelight._ _ _ _

____“Sorry, can you repeat that?” Will said once he realized Alana had said something to him._ _ _ _

____“Are you alright Will? You seem distracted.” Her mask was a rosy pink, same as her cheeks. But the worry and pity on her face soured the look for him._ _ _ _

____“Yeah… I’m fine. Just a bit tired.”_ _ _ _

____“Would you like some fresh air? There's a balcony you can rest at over there.” Hannibal gestured to two twin glass doors across the room covered in thick red curtains. “I will accompany you if you wish.”_ _ _ _

____“N-no, it’s alright.” Will stammered. “I wouldn’t want to keep you from the party. Don’t worry, I'll only be gone a minute.” Before Hannibal could respond, he nodded politely to the other two before he made a beeline for the doors._ _ _ _

____Behind him, he could hear Alana ask Hannibal if he wanted to dance._ _ _ _

____…………………………………………………….._ _ _ _

____The outside air was cold, refreshing in a way Will didn’t know he needed._ _ _ _

____His breath came out in small puffs of white, he could tell by the taste of the air that it would likely snow soon. But that didn’t stop him from leaning against the even colder stone of the railing that looked out into the forest around them. It was cloudy, so the only light was from the sliver of candlelight that slipped through the gaps of the curtains. Inside, he could hear the music change to something more upbeat, laughter and drinks clinked together and he could imagine people beginning to pair up._ _ _ _

____He imagined Hannibal dancing with Alana, and he rubbed away the sudden ache in his chest._ _ _ _

____“I take it crowds aren’t for you?”_ _ _ _

____He jumped slightly at the sound of a woman's voice, turning, he recognized one of the two ladies dressed in green that Dolarhyde was talking to earlier. She was smaller than him, her emerald green mask tied delicately through her blond hair._ _ _ _

____“Not exactly. You?”_ _ _ _

____“Crowds tend to suffocate me.” She had moved to his left, leaning back on the rail in a similar way to himself._ _ _ _

____“I’m Will.”_ _ _ _

____“I know who you are. I used to live in town.”_ _ _ _

____“Used to?”_ _ _ _

____“I met someone. She and I live together now.” She smiled as she spoke, tilting her head back to look at the stars. For some reason, she looked familiar to him but he couldn’t quite place it. “How is Jack?”_ _ _ _

____“You know him?”_ _ _ _

____“Used to, before I met my wife.” She laughed again, tilting her head back. Will decided he liked her._ _ _ _

____“He’s same old Jack.”_ _ _ _

____“I figured. Is his wife still sick?”_ _ _ _

____“Somewhat, but she’s been doing much better.”_ _ _ _

____“Good.” She smiled, and he smiled back._ _ _ _

____“I’ll tell him you said hi.”_ _ _ _

____“Oh, you probably shouldn’t Will.” She waved the offer away quickly. “He’d just get upset.”_ _ _ _

_____Huh?_ _ _ _ _

____Before he could ask her why that was, a warm gush of air greeted them as the glass doors were opened. Much to his surprise, Hannibal walked out to them, as well as the other green woman he saw earlier. She was slim, short brown hair braided away from her mask. She looked at him fondly, like she knew him, before she all but glided over to her wife and kissed her cheek._ _ _ _

____“There you are darling Lass, I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”_ _ _ _

____“Sorry birdie, just needed some cold air. This is my new friend Will.” She elbowed him playfully before she wrapped her arms around the brown haired woman's waist. Will, ever formal, shook her offered hand and smiled. Hannibal moved closer to his side, his thick cloak sheltering him somewhat from the winter wind._ _ _ _

____“Starling dear, always a pleasure to see you.” The doctor said to the brown haired woman. ‘Starling’ smiled at him openly before she and the blond woman politely parted ways with them. Will, now alone with Lecter, looked up at him nervously._ _ _ _

____“They seemed nice.”_ _ _ _

____“Yes, Clarice is a dear old friend of mine. She can be a bit protective of me so i’m glad she seemed to like you.” His arm was flush with Will’s as they leaned together on the balcony. It seems that, ever since Will took the initiative and allowed contact, he couldn’t bear not touching the Empath._ _ _ _

_____Knock it off, I’m just imagining it._ _ _ _ _

____“It seems that it will snow sometime tonight.” Hannibal said after a long moment. Will hummed in agreement, allowing Hannibal to intertwine their arms again._ _ _ _

____Inside, the music changed once again to a slower song. Will, remembering their conversation earlier, tensed and ducked his head away from the other mans attentive gaze._ _ _ _

____“Um… Would you still like to- uh, I mean-”_ _ _ _

____“Dear Will, are you asking me for the pleasure of a dance?” Hannibal’s emotions became joyful at the mention of it, his hunger peaked again and It made Will simultaneously want to lean closer and run for the hills._ _ _ _

____“... Yes.”_ _ _ _

____Before the words even passed his lips, Hannibal had maneuvered them into the waltz pose faster than he could blink. Will’s arms had risen up to his chest in alarm, searching Hannibals face questioningly before he gently placed his hands on Hannibal’s shoulder and hip. The other mans hands radiated heat from where they were on his waist. Slowly, Hannibal maneuvered them so that he was clasping Will’s right hand in his own. With barely a breath, they began to glide in time with the tempo._ _ _ _

____Will felt like he was flying, the world fell away from them as they danced. All he could focus on was Lecter's eyes, so impossibly red in the light. His lips were parted, Will had a sudden urge to kiss him._ _ _ _

_____You know what? Fuck it._ _ _ _ _

____Hannibal seemed to sense a change in Will’s demeanor, they had gravitated ever closer to one another for who knew how long. Their lips mere centimeters apart now, The Empath just barely noting that they had stopped moving. Before Will could close the distance, Hannibal pulled back only slightly. He would have read it as rejection had the other man's arms not tightened their grip on where they had somehow ended up on his hips._ _ _ _

____“Will… if it’s too much…” He began, but Will didn’t want to hear it. He wanted this, desperately so. With a confidence he didn’t know he had, he slid his hands through the back of the doctors head and pulled his mouth to his own._ _ _ _

____Hannibal did not take even a second to reciprocate, his impossibly warm mouth clashing against Will’s own hard enough to hurt, but not enough to stop. Will’s grip tightened, moving one hand to grab at the front of the doctors suit. His ass hit the cold stone of the balcony before he even realized they had moved backwards. Hannibal had him caged against the stone, Bringing a hand up to cup the side of his face under the mask. His teeth, which were surprisingly sharper than Will thought they were, bit lightly into his bottom lip, making him gasp in surprise._ _ _ _

____Will was burning, the touch was proving to be too much for him. But he couldn’t stop, instead groaning in pleasure when Hannibal's tongue made its way into his mouth. One of the doctors thighs had slipped between his legs to get closer and Will gasped again when he felt Hannibal's hand slip underneath his shirt._ _ _ _

____The edge of the binder clipped against his fingers, and Will felt like ice water had been dumped on him._ _ _ _

____He pulled away quickly, hands moving to gently push Hannibal's chest away from his own. instantly regretting the loss of warmth. He looked up to see that the doctors irises were blown, looking almost black in the light. He imagined his face probably looked pretty similar._ _ _ _

____“I- I’m sorry, I can’t. I want to, but I can’t.” His voice cracked as he spoke, not wanting to see the disappointment which he was sure was on the other mans face._ _ _ _

____Instead, he felt warm hands cover his own and an apologetic kiss on his cheek._ _ _ _

____“It’s alright Will, I understand perfectly.” Hannibal murmured into the side of his face. Will felt his heart break at the gentleness of his voice. He didn’t realize he was crying till Hannibal removed his mask and kissed his amp cheeks. “Hush dear, we can move at your own pace.”_ _ _ _

____“Y- you’re not upset that I-”_ _ _ _

____“How could I ever be mad at you?” His lips moved against his cheeks, tickling it with stubble._ _ _ _

____“You mean a lot to me Will. I hope this doesn’t ruin how you see me and I know we still don’t know much about one another, but I would like to be closer to you than just mere friends.”_ _ _ _

____Will felt his heart swell at the words he had so desperately wanted to hear for the past few days. He gaped up at the other man, speechless but needing to say so much._ _ _ _

____“I… would like that.” He managed to say after a minute. Hannibals face seemed to light up, giving Will enough courage to reach up and peck a light kiss to the corner of his mouth. He laughed, feeling giddy and a bit drunk, but happier than he had been in a very long time. They stayed like that for awhile, holding each other for who knew how long before the glass doors opened once more, making Will quickly move away from the other as though nothing had happened._ _ _ _

____A very tired looking Misha in a blue mermaid dress greeted them with Winston close behind her, she rubbed her eyes and yawned cartoonishly. Walking over to them and oblivious to the tension in the air._ _ _ _

____“‘Annibal, I’m tired.”_ _ _ _

____“It is well past your bedtime dear Misha, let’s get you to bed.” Hannibal all but cooed at her before kneeling down to her level. She glanced from him to Will._ _ _ _

____“I wan’ Will to carry me.”_ _ _ _

____Hannibal glanced up at Will with a raised eyebrow, the empath shrugging before her kneeled down beside the toddler in question. He raised his arms and Misha quickly wrapped her own around his neck before all but passing out against him. The two men stood, Hannibal caressing Mishas messy blonde curls before lightly kissing Will on the cheek._ _ _ _

____“I suppose we should all head to bed as well, the parties just about over anyway.”_ _ _ _

____“You haven’t eaten yet though.” Will remembered, worry evident in his voice. The other man laughed in that secretive way of his before all but devouring Wills mouth with his own, leaving them both gasping when they parted for breath._ _ _ _

____“Don’t worry dear Will, I’m always hungry.”_ _ _ _

____They retreated back into the warmth of the party, Winston following happily behind them._ _ _ _

____..............................................._ _ _ _

____Outside, it began to snow._ _ _ _


	9. žaidimas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> žaidimas= Game
> 
> Sorry this update took so long as i've been insanely busy. Please leave a comment and tell me what you think!

They had just barely made it through the doors of the balcony before they were spotted by the menagerie of people.

Unlike before, where it was like time had stopped, the crowd seemed to become even livelier as people cheerfully greeted Hannibal. A blur of both masked men and women either curtseyed, bowed, or shook his hand as they passed. The speed of which strangers came and went like the tide was enough to make his head spin, but Hannibal seemed unfazed, even greeting each individual by name much to Will’s own amazement. He couldn’t imagine what it must be like to know so many people, he could probably count on both hands how many people he even bothered to remember the names of. 

Despite the onslaught of people, Hannibal never left his side at any point, even going so far as to introduce him to the crowd like he was one of them. He would have been touched by the gesture if he was not currently attempting to not be overwhelmed by the closeness of so many people. His empathy was just barely under wraps as it was, he inwardly flinched every time someone brushed by behind him, anxious that they’d feel his wings before he remembered he had the fake ones on. He was glad for Misha (Who had woken up at some point due to the bustle of the crowd) as holding her up gave him something to do with his arms. Her and Hannibal’s hand on his arm acted as anchors that kept him grounded in the sea of people's feelings. He wasn’t sure if he should be grateful or worried that he was comforted so much by two practical strangers. 

_At least the people here seem to like me._

Which was true, he could see their eyes light up whenever Hannibal introduced him to them, they smiled and spoke kindly to Will (Despite him only barely uttering anything outside of formalities due to his anxiety), A few of them even asked him if he wanted to dance. 

“No way! I get to dance with him first!” Misha had proclaimed whenever someone came towards him, tightening her arms around his neck. It always got a laugh out of everyone in the crowd, Will’s own cheeks tightened into a smile at the surprising domestic nature of it all. He avoided looking directly at Lecter however, the memory of the kiss made his face even warmer under the mask. But the lingering touches the man would sneak onto his arm and side made him burn regardless of his own efforts to calm down, his wings twitched excitedly at his back from the contact. It emboldened him enough to actually converse with the people around him, he laughed countless times at their banter and for the first time in his life felt truly accepted by the people around him.

Time slipped away from him for who knew how long, he saw the woman in green he met on the balcony with her wife Starling right? At some point and they exchanged friendly nods from across the room. Again, Will was hit by that strange feeling that he had seen her somewhere before but he couldn’t quite place it. Before he could get close enough to ask what her name was he was distracted by Misha hopping out of his arms and dragging him into a quick dance. (Where he basically just twirled her around with his arm.) Before releasing him to head upstairs at Hannibal's reminder it was well past her bedtime, Winston following close behind her. 

He didn’t see Jack or Alana anywhere in the crowd during this time. 

Eventually, Hannibal had somehow maneuvered him to a more hidden side of the party room near one of the walls draped with curtains. Placing a small glass of champagne in one of his shaking hands and smiling apologetically down at him. 

“I apologize for my guests, I may have mentioned you once or twice over our meetings and they were excited to meet you. I'm sorry for any anxiety they might have caused you.”

“Was I that obvious?” Will muttered, touching a hand to his masked cheek before he took a large gulp of his glass to soothe his nerves. “It’s not their fault, I’m just not used to this sort of thing. I’m actually having fun if you would believe it.”

“I’m glad, it seems they liked you as much as I do. We seemed to each have a fair number of people asking for dances.” Hannibal smirked before leaning in to whisper into his ear. “Though I’m sure they’d be surprised to learn that I was your first partner.” 

Will could feel his face burn at the insinuation of the other mans tone and took another large gulp to hide the grin he was sure was on his face. He knew Hannibal saw it due to the pleased look in his eyes and the way he moved closer, practically caging him against the wall. The thick curtain hiding them from the crowd. 

Before Will could react, they were interrupted by the sudden chaotic chanting of the crowd. Looking over, he noticed everyone cheering as they watched a rather antique-looking grandfather clock begin to toll. Confused, he looked over to Hannibal who was also watching the commotion unfurl with that strange red glint in his eye.

“Unmask, Unmask! UNMASK!!!” They cheered, all but ripping the masks off of one another in a near animalistic manner Will didn’t expect.

“It is the final hour, once the clock strikes midnight is when we unmask and reveal our true selves to one another. When monsters become men once more.” He spoke close to his ear, gently reaching up to slip Will’s mask off of his face. Will looked back at him, startled at the contact, before he reached out and began to do the same to him. Will felt himself smile once more as he managed to take the doctors skull mask, holding it’s porcelain frame in his free hand as they stared at one another. His face felt chilled at the drying perspiration on his face and he knew he looked flushed. He couldn’t wait to go to his room and get out of his binder, as it was starting to get uncomfortable and tighter due to his activities, but managed to hold himself still when Hannibal brought a hand up to gently fix his unruly black curls. 

“There you are.” Hannibal said softly once he seemed satisfied with his fretting. Will smiled, feeling a bit shy now that he was unmasked and finished off his drink in one last gulp, surprised when Hannibal took the empty glass and gave it to a passing butler. Around them, Will listened as the party seemed to finally start calming down around them. 

“I should probably go find Jack, I know he’s probably been itching to talk to me all night.” He said after a minute, the happy buzz he had had since he kissed the doctor dampening at the thought. 

“I believe he had headed to my parlour at some point. I am unsure where Alana is at the moment but I have asked Dolarhyde to let her know if she comes looking for us.” 

_Oh yeah…_

“I heard Alana asked you to dance? How’d that go?” Will asked before he realized how it must have sounded. 

“She did, but I have not taken her up on the offer just yet as I had to discuss something important with Miss Starling. I’m sure she’ll most likely try to find me by nights end.” He leaned in once more into Wills personal space. “Which is why I believe we should take our leave if we are to discuss things with dear Jack, wouldn’t you say?”

_Wait… did he really miss a chance to dance with Alana to dance with me?_

A part of him felt bad for her, but the majority of his brain was a bit smug at the notion he was Hannibal’s first choice. 

“You mean you want to escape before she tries to flirt with you again in front of everyone.” He teased before motioning for him to lead the way to the parlour. He knew as much as anyone that asking someone out in front of other people so they’d be less likely to say no was a bad move. 

“Looks like I’ve been found out.” Hannibal all but winked before offering Will his arm once again. He was able to properly prepare himself for the mans emotions this time much to his relief, and they managed to maneuver into a quieter hallway without anyone noticing their departure.

………………………………………………………...

Hannibal knew Jack wouldn’t be in the parlour when they arrived. 

One of his ‘guests’ had whispered to him during the party that they had seen the detective sneak away at some point to snoop around the castle.

_I ought to have warned him, this place has a tendency to drive one mad if they’re not careful._

He allowed his lips to curl into a small smile at the thought, the gesture not going unnoticed by Will as they walked down the hall.

“What are you smiling about?” The Empath asked at his side, tilting his head to look up at him curiously. 

“Just thinking about our cunning escape. Are you tired at all?”

“A bit.” Will admitted, his lovely blue eyes averting their gaze from his own. “But I’ll manage.”

They had neared the door to the parlor, a lovely engraving of oak wood that would have been difficult for any other person to open due to its weight.

So of course it slid open for the doctor with ease.

Will, hiding his mildly impressed look, looked around with increasing interest as Hannibal ushered him inside. The fireplace itself catching the most of his attention as they both sat in front of it in plush chairs Hannibal often used for private sessions with his clients. This was arguably his most favorite room in the manor as it both allowed for his complete view of the room and made his guests drop their guard due to it’s cozy nature. He could tell Will was more tired than he let on due to the heavy flutter of his eyelids.

“Where’s Jack? I thought he was going to-”

“It seems he wanted to begin his investigation a bit earlier than I had requested. But don’t worry, I’m sure he’ll go out of his way to find you in the morning.”

“Great.” Will said, rolling his eyes before hunkering down further into the end of the lounging chair, exhaustion clearly taking him over.

“Would you care for a drink?” He asked after a moment, gesturing over to a little bar table he had near one of the walls. Will nodded, drowsily watching the flickering lights of the flames as they devoured the miniscule cords of wood. 

“Whiskey?” 

“Please.” 

Once Hannibal had poured each of them two fingers worth in the provided glasses, they slipped into a comfortable silence as they both stared into the fire. It was not at all unlike when they had done such a thing at Will’s own place, save for the lack of dogs and dead leaves on the floor. 

“It’s funny.” Will laughed. “This reminds me of what we did at my house.”

“I was just thinking the same thing.” 

His fond grin sent a shiver through Hannibal that he only seemed to get around him. It was intoxicating.

“So… what’s the catch?” 

“I’m afraid I don’t understand what you mean.”

“Come on Doctor. You’re a smart man, wealthy, from a ridiculously terrifying family and seem to be immensely popular with the upper class.” He stated, emphasizing every observation while counting on his fingers. “It just seems… weird that you’d be interested in me of all people.”

“What’s not to like dear Will? You are sharp witted and observant. I’ve never felt the need to use polite social mannerisms with you. I often find small talk to be tedious.” He leaned forward in his chair, making them eye level with one another. He observed how Will instinctively flinched away from him before seeming to make himself hold still. “Misha seems to like you as well.”

“She seems the type to like anybody.”

“Not just anyone.” He expertly slid his arm up to cover Wills hand with his own on the arm of the chair. “Both of us have grown quite fond of you.”

“She’s only known me for about a day, and we only met a week ago.”

“I pride myself in being a very good judge of character.” 

“Even so…” Will’s eyes darted between where their hands were clasped back to his face. “I am… unsure of what to call this. I’ve never been…”

“Courted?”

“I was going to say ‘in a relationship’ but… your way of wording it seems more fitting.” Will laughed in a self deprecating manner before he turned his attention once again to the fire. Hannibal felt his rage ignite at the thought of what life for Will must have been like.

“Tell me, you know so much about my family, more than a lot of people would. Yet I don’t know anything about yours.”

“Really?” Will raised a skeptical brow at that. “From what I’ve heard, your family seems to know everything about everyone. I even wondered if you’d know about…” He seemed to catch himself then, shrinking further into his chair.

“Know about what?”

“It’s nothing. To answer your question, there's not really much you need to know. My mom ran off when I was a kid and my father died when I was barely a man. It’s something a lot of kids have to deal with.”

“That doesn’t mean that it doesn’t hurt.”

Will hummed unenthusiastically before taking a larger sip of his glass. 

“Regardless, that and my status as the town empathetic hermit doesn’t usually bode well for me when it comes to partners. I usually tend to scare them off.” He stole another glance at Hannibal, who was metaphorically on the edge of his seat with rapt attention. “It’s why I have a hard time… labeling this, I guess.”

Hannibal, ever attentive to the points of contact, held his hand as he mulled over this new information. He didn’t believe that Reba had intended to leave Will alone after all this time. She most likely didn’t even know her husband was dead. 

_I’ll be sure to tell her when we meet._

“Let us not label this with words then.” He gave his hand a reassuring squeeze before standing. “Let us see where this leads us, for now we should retire for the night. I will go find our dear detective once I escort you back.”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that.” 

“Please, I insist. It wouldn’t do if I were to let a favored guest of mine get lost in my house.” 

“...Alright.”  
………………………………………………………….

Once Will’s door had safely closed and he heard the doctors retreating footsteps. He slumped against the wall and hid his face in his hands.

_Shit, I really got it bad don’t I?_

His face felt like it was on fire, his skin riddled with the needle-like sensation of touches he had felt and quickly stripped to head in the shower.

He felt sweaty, tired, drunk, and ridiculously enamored.

He leaned his head against the tiled wall of the shower once he got in, enjoying the feeling of warming water slinging over his wings. They were sore from being bound for longer than usual, his legs were equally sore from standing for so long. The water helped immensely, not only with his cramping muscles but also for his drunken state. He had drank more than he was used to and had swayed when Hannibal walked him back to his room. When they had parted ways he had even kissed his hand. It made his mind slip back to that moment on the balcony.

“Damn it Will, it was just a kiss. No big deal.” 

Except it was, it was a HUGE deal. He couldn’t remember the last, if any, time he had kissed somebody. Let alone that… Passionately. His lips still tingled from where Hannibal bit them and he rigorously scrubbed at his mouth to rid himself of the feeling. 

He didn’t know how to react to something like this, it still felt so unreal to him and he knew he would question if it even really happened come morning. 

Sighing, he finished washing his hair and wings and stepped out to put on some pajama pants after drying himself off with a towel. He took a few steps back towards his room when a glimpse in the mirror made him freeze in his tracks.

He looked… different. His cheeks had more color in them than they usually did and the permanent shadow under his eyes was all but gone. His lips weren’t as chapped as they had been that morning and his wings looked… Fuller? Stronger? Whatever the case, he looked healthier than he had ever remembered being.

 _Is it because I’ve been eating better lately? Why didn’t I notice earlier? I actually look kind of good._

His brain, strained from both the eventful night and alcohol, was unwilling to help him out with coming up with a valid reason and he threw his hands up in resignation. 

_Fuck it, I cant keep second guessing things like this. But I’m too drunk right now to care…_

He sighed, flopping back onto the bed, wings stretched to their full length beneath him. He absently caressed one as he tried to think. 

Yes, he definitely liked the doctor. He had never considered himself to be gay, but then again he never really had attraction to anyone. Something like that didn’t really matter to him. The actual issue was that he couldn’t exactly be entirely open with others considering what he was. 

_And yet…_

He wanted to try. 

……………………………………………………

Jack Crawford is not a bad person.

Sure, he knows how others view him; the pushy, arrogant and assholish boss with dreams of grandeur. But underneath that he had a good and just heart (That’s what Bella had told him when he had asked why she even liked him all those years ago anyway.). Sometimes, he would feel regret with the way he treated his coworkers, he knew he had a temper, especially if he was working a difficult case. 

Especially this one, and especially when working with Will Graham. 

Sure, he felt bad about pushing someone as ‘fragile’ (As he assumes him to be) as Will with things like this. But he loved this village, he loved the townspeople, it always hurt when he couldn’t give families closure. It motivated him to do anything he could to get to the bottom of things.

Even if it meant playing dirty.

Which is why he had snuck away from the party. He knew his best bet of investigating unhindered was if he went while everyone was otherwise occupied. He didn’t know why, didn’t even really question it, but whenever he spoke to Hannibal, things would get… blurry for him. He would always find himself agreeing to whatever it was Hannibal had said or asked of him. Perhaps it was due to his extremely charming personality? 

In any case, he didn’t like being influenced by others no matter how unintentional. It was for that reason he hadn’t been as pushy towards Will at the party after the first time. He had already been a bit too harsh on the guy. A part of him knew it was a bit hypocritical of him to try bending Will when he himself didn’t like the feeling. But the other part just didn’t care, but didn’t like the feeling of the crowds eyes on him when he had wanted to be professional. 

It sent a chill up his spine to remember the way their gazes felt in the marrow of his bones. 

He felt colder still as the strange way Hannibal’s eyes had looked to him as well in that moment.

So he left, and was now wandering the ridiculously long hall of the Lecter manor. The sheer structure and isolation of the place made him wonder what it would do to someone who grew up here. 

_It would drive anyone insane._

Hall after hall he wandered, not really knowing what he was looking for when a commotion outside had him looking out one of the windows that dotted the dim hall. 

“What the hell?” 

There was a huge crowd gathered near the edge of the endless dark woods, illuminated by nothing except the lights of the home. He squinted, making out a few people he recognized from the party. They seemed to be waving goodbye to one another and walking in either groups or pairs into the darkness of the trees. 

_Now that I think of it, I didn’t see any cars out front. Does that mean that they ALL walked here? And why the hell are they walking into the woods at this time of night?_

He watched, a growing feeling of dread beginning to know in his stomach as he watched them leave one by one. Until there were only a handful left, Two women dressed in matching green gowns, a tall bald fellow he had briefly talked to at the party _What was it? Toby? Tobias? Thomas?_ Who had was currently whispering into the ear of a woman linked at the arm in a familiar pink dress…

“Alana? What’s she doing down there?” 

She looked… dazed? Her head nodding sluggishly as the man gently spoke into her ear. The dread turning into full blown terror as he watched him gently take her hand and lead her into the darkness. He made to open the window, to yell a warning or something, when something made him freeze in his movements. 

There. One of the women in green was staring directly up at him. A small, blond young woman who was staring him dead in the eyes. His arm, which was raised to unlock the window hatch, swung lifelessly to his side when she slowly shook her head at him.

 _'Don't do it'_ She seemed to say, before she too linked hands with her partner and disappeared into the night. Recognition set in slowly for him, hindered and slowed by his guilt and hope. The moment it occurred, his voice left in a whisper, a small pleading voice that didn’t sound like his own. 

“Miriam Lass?”

_No, that’s impossible. She’s been dead for years._

“Sir, what are you doing out here?” 

He jumped, shaken and caught off guard when the familiar lisping voice spoke close to him. Turning with the speed of a vet cop, his hand automatically reached for an absent pistol holder before he recognized the scarred face of Hannibal’s butler. 

“Nothing, I was just- I saw-” Jack balked, noticing how the butler looked… different? Less timid than he had seemed earlier at breakfast. Jack was unable to properly understand what the difference was, but it made him take a step back.

“You left the gathering earlier than what was deemed appropriate. You acted of your own volition and have wandered where you are not welcome. I will speak for Lord Lecter when I say such rudeness is unspeakable in this household.” Francis said, taking a step towards Jack.

Crawford was not a small man, he often prided himself in his muscular stature and his height alone was enough to intimidate most criminals into confessing. But Dolarhyde seemed to match, if not surpass him in size. 

_Funny, he seemed smaller earlier…_

“I saw Miriam Lass outside just now, She’s been missing for years. Those people just walked into the woods like it was nothing! Just what the hell is going on here?” He all but roared at the other man.

Francis didn’t speak. They just stared each other down for what felt like eternity. Jack was already planning out how to apprehend the guy when it happened.

He blinked, and Francis Dolarhyde was gone. 

The thing that was in front of him now looked like Francis, sounded like Francis, but the man who was there only a split second before was gone. Jack's mind screamed at him to run but he found he couldn't move. That same blurry feeling he had earlier was growing by the second, making it hard for him to focus let alone think.

“Don’t worry sir.” The Thing said, closing in where Jack was rooted to the spot. “You’ll think you were dreaming come morning, I’ll make sure of that as I always take care of the Lecters, and I always will.”

The Dragon lunged, and Jack’s mind went dark.


	10. Meluoti

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meluoti= To Lie
> 
> Sorry this update took so long guys! I had absolutely no energy to do anything over the holidays. To make up for it this chapter is a bit longer than usual. I hope it was worth the wait!

That night, Will had a strange dream. 

He was back in the ballroom, surrounded once again by the partygoers. They reached for him on all sides, grabbing at him and speaking desperate words Will couldn’t understand. Their mouths were like black pits that gaped at him from all sides. He became increasingly frightened at the hollow and almost ravenous looks in their eyes beneath their masks as they reached for him. He looked around for the doctor for help but Hannibal was nowhere in sight.

He pushed through the seemingly endless crowd towards the balcony where he was sure he would find him, only to be thwarted by large dark arms wrapping around him from behind. Turning to look, he was shocked to see how the large crowd had all but vanished, leaving him alone with the tall creature from his dreams that had him in a vice-like grip. As soon as he began to panic however, the harsh grip turned gentle as the creature spun him around into an all too familiar waltz. His wings, which were free of any restraints, brushed against the cold marble floor briskly as they moved together. The creatures' enormous wings enveloped them both, sealing them together in a soft cocoon.

The dance was slow and calming, the fear quickly subsided the more the being touched him. A warm, drug-like emotion quickly taking its place at the sensation of his wings brushing anothers, making him relax under the gentle attention. Before he knew it, the tall being was embracing him, caressing his back as it had the first time he saw it. Its long talons digging almost possessively onto his back, which he realized then was bare. He groaned at the feeling, holding onto the things dark tunic for dear life as it lowered its face to his neck. Will whimpered at the sensation of its long tongue caressing his skin. 

“Beautiful boy, I think I’ll eat your heart.” 

Will could only nod, sleep logic muddying his thoughts and making him more compliant as the creature gently tilted his head up to collide with a kiss full of sharp teeth…

………………………………………………………..

Will awoke feeling sweaty and embarrassed. He was also incredibly hard, Making it almost painful to move as he willed himself to calm down between erratic breaths. His head and wings throbbed slightly from the tell-tale signs of a hangover and he made his way to the bathroom to freshen up. (Noting thankfully that there was yet again no wing powder on the sheets.) As he splashed his face with sink water, he realized it was still early in the morning as it was very dark in the room.

He hardly noticed that the light scratches on his lip from kissing Hannibal had all but healed.

_He almost wished it wouldn’t._

He sighed, the ‘effects’ the dream had on him were slow to will away, He felt embarrassment at the memory of how good the creature's touch felt. 

"What the hell is wrong with me?"

His cheeks burned again as he left the bathroom, deciding there was no way he’d be able to go back to sleep after that and decided to get dressed for the day. Secretly also excited to explore a bit of the castle on his own until the others woke up to distract himself. 

He ended up putting on a plain blue shirt over his binder with jeans. Internally, he debated whether he should put shoes on or not considering he was indoors and if it was rude. But eventually decided for it when he remembered Hannibal and Misha wore shoes yesterday when he ate with them. His stomach growled at the memory of the delicious meal and found himself looking forward to what todays meal would be. 

Stepping out into the hallway, he shuddered at the difference in temperature. It was significantly much colder than it was in his room. Looking out one of the many windows aligning the hallway, he noted that it was still snowing outside with no signs of stopping and there was a decent amount of snow on the ground.

_I wonder if it’ll storm later?_

A nagging feeling of anxiety pooled in his gut at what that would mean. In Wolf Trap, it was known to snow a good three feet on average every storm, the town would be all but shut down as they waited for the snow to either be shoveled or melt enough for safe travel. It was common for people to hoard supplies for the long winters when going to the store would be nearly impossible. If it stormed while he was here…

 _That would mean we’d be trapped here till spring._

He knew he’d have to talk to Jack about it when he saw him next, He had a feeling he’d most likely want to go home to be with his wife than be trapped with people like him and Hannibal.

_That, and I’m sure Bev wouldn’t want to watch the dogs for that long._

For some reason, when the thought of leaving crossed his mind, a sharp pang went through his chest. 

“Mr. Graham? What are you doing up so early?” 

Will flinched a bit at the sudden sound of someones voice in the quiet hallway, but he quickly calmed down when he realized it was just Dolarhyde. 

“Sorry, I tend to be a light sleeper. Just felt like walking a bit before everyone else woke up if that’s alright.”

“Of course sir.” Francis said in a friendly, yet timid tone. “But I may ask that I escort you, it would be discourteous of me to let a guest get lost in these halls.” 

“Sure. I’m not going far though, Just towards the parlor.” Will remembered seeing some books in there that seemed interesting.

“Of course Sir.” 

The walk there was quiet, neither men said much outside of talking about the weather and other forms of small talk. But it wasn’t awkward, neither of them were big talkers and it was early enough in the morning where such quiet was welcomed. 

When they got to the parlor, Francis remained standing near the door while Will explored the room a bit more. 

“If I may sir. You are looking much better than you had upon first arriving.” Dolarhyde said after a moment when Will finally settled down with a book he found interesting enough to read. Will looked up at him questionably, Eyebrow raised in confusion.

“Really? I don’t feel all that different.”

“You have more color in your face sir, that and you seem more energetic.”

_Now that he mentions it, I did notice my appearance was a bit… different last night._

“I might be because I got a decent amount of sleep.” Will deflected, turning his attention back to the book that he now couldn’t focus back on. “That and the food here’s pretty good.”

That earned what had to have been the first genuine laugh Will had ever heard from him, breathless and quiet as it was. When he looked back up in surprise Francis had turned his face away in embarrassment. 

They stayed like that for a while, both enjoying the quiet as they passed the time by. Will was able to convince the man to sit after a few moments (People standing in place always made him nervous) and the two enjoyed the warmth of the fire for a while. 

It wasn’t until Francis suddenly jolted upright to attention that Hannibal walked through the door. 

“Oh, good morning Will.” He smiled, nodding politely at Francis who silently excused himself elsewhere. “I do hope your room was warm enough? It seems to have snowed through the night.” 

“Er, yes. It was fine.” He stammered, blushing at the memory of last night. Finding that he couldn’t quite make eye contact with the other man, instead opting to pretend to read.

Hannibal settled into the armchair beside him as they had done last night, closing his eyes and resting his head back. He didn’t seem nearly as flustered as Will felt, who fidgeted every so often. The doctor watched this with silent delight.

After what felt like an eternity, He spoke.

“Are you hungry by chance? I had just finished preparations before I came in.” 

“Oh thank you.” Will said, glad the awkward silence had been broken. “But shouldn’t we wait for everyone else to wake up?”

“Oh don’t worry. Misha usually wakes up around this time, and...” The Doctor said with a strange tone. “The Others are sure to follow.”

_Huh?_

“Alright then, lead the way.” 

………………………………………………………….

Sure enough, they ended up running into a very groggy Misha in the hallway, followed loyally by and equally tired looking Winston. 

“G’Mornin'.” She mumbled, sleepily waddling over to them and grabbing Will’s hand. 

“Good morning Misha, I take it you’re hungry?”

“Starving.”

They made their way together towards where Will vaguely remembered the Dining room being. Misha seemed to become her more energetic self when she realized it was snowing outside, happily bounding ahead of them to look out of every window in the hall. Will laughed, occasionally catching Hannibal’s eye and felt his face burn every time he sent a smile his way. 

_Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to be here till spring…_

………………………………………………………….

Much to Will’s surprise, Alana and Jack were already seated at the table. Jack wore a thick red sweater with jeans and Alana had on a light blue knitted sweater with black pants. Both seemed a bit out of it, barely even glancing Will's way when they entered through the door. Francis was stationed just behind Jack and nodded at them formerly. Will noted upon sitting that Jack was staring at Alana strangely, which she hardly seemed to notice as she turned to beam at Hannibal while he made his way around the table to grab breakfast. If anything, it looked like she was ignoring him altogether.

_Did they have a fight?_

“Hey Jack, Did you see how much snow was outside?” Will asked, waving slightly over his boss’s face. It seemed to work as he blinked out of his weird stare back to clarity once he registered Will. 

“I did… I think it's going to get worse of the news is anything to go by.”

“Yeah… What should we do? If we get snowed in for the winter then Bella-”

“Then we’d be trapped in here with the killer till spring.” Jacks brow furrowed with contemplation, clearly both worried and anxious at the idea. 

_Shit, I hadn’t even thought of that._

He turned to glance at where Alana was spacing out, facing the direction Hannibal had gone with a dreamy look on her face. He frowned, annoyed slightly at how obvious she was being. 

_Now’s not the time to be petty though…_

“Really?” Misha suddenly interjected, leaning forward with a sparkle in her eyes as she looked hopefully up at Will. “You’re really staying that long?” 

“If we get snowed in, we won’t really have a choice.” He grinned, noting how she didn’t seem too concerned with the whole ‘Trapped in an isolated manor with a serial killer’ bit of the conversation. 

“Hmm…” Jack hummed, another strange look passing over his face. “Will, after breakfast we should talk.” 

“Yeah, alright. I know you’ve been meaning to ever since we got here.” The Empath paused. “Speaking of, why didn’t you come find me in the parlor last night? Hannibal said you were planning to.”

“I…” His brows furrowed further. “I think I just needed some air. The party got a bit claustrophobic after a while.”

_He didn’t snoop? Or is he just saying that so Francis and Hannibal don’t know where he went off to?_

“What about you Alana? What did you do?” 

“Huh? Oh.” She, like Jack, seemed to break out of her daze. “I socialized a bit with a few people I had met at the party.”

“Really?” _She didn’t go look for Hannibal at all?_ “That sounds nice. I just ended up heading for bed.” It didn't seem appropriate to mention how he escaped the event with Hannibal to her face like that.

“You didn’t strain yourself too much last night did you?” She said, her usual concern etching across her features. A part of Will was relieved to see it again if it meant she finally stopped acting so weird.

“No, I’m alright. I was just tired, that’s all.”

“Did you feel anyone strange at the party?” Jack asked eagerly, likely chomping at the bit for some sort of lead.

“No, no they were all nice in their own way.” Will paused, thinking about what to say. 

It was true, the people at the party were nothing but nice to him (Which was most likely because they didn’t know of his reputation.) but the vibes’ he got off everyone were slightly… ‘fuzzy’ in a way. 

_Maybe I got a bit overwhelmed by the amount of people?_

That was the option that made the most sense, But as he mulled it over… It didn’t really seem right.

Sure, he gets overwhelmed in crowds, but he was always able to clearly read the feelings that bombarded him. But in this case, it was like looking through a window covered in frost. He could squint all he wanted, but all he saw was vague outlines and shapes. It was… strange.

_Then again, this whole situation is strange…_

Before he could follow this train of thought however, Hannibal suddenly appeared with a food trolley stockpiled with even more appetizing dishes than the day before. A sharp clenching of Will’s gut at the smell reminded him he hadn’t had much outside of the champagne the previous night. By the looks on everyone else’s faces, they were equally as ravenous.

“Tell us Doctor, what are we about to put in our mouths?” Jack spoke excitedly. 

“Blue cheese quiche with whole grain crust served with Danish baked eggs and Kimchi. Bacon and sausage slices drizzled in honey. Honey Cakes coated with sweet butter accompanying various assortments of berries decorated with saffrons for color. As well as the main dish, Sliced fresh ham and crumpets with jam.” He spoke as if reading from a shakespearean script, setting the plates expertly into various assortments on the table. Will swallowed eagerly as the smell of the meat reached his nose. Misha was practically drooling.

“It looks delicious.” Will said after a pause, Eagerly piling his plate high once everyone started to dig in. He noted with concern how Hannibal's plate was as empty as ever. Even Jack seemed to take note despite how focused he was on his own food.

“Not hungry Doctor?” He asked, his tone similar to what Will recognized to be his ‘interrogation’ voice, it was the voice he used on people he believed to be acting suspicious. He shrank a bit in his seat, cringing at the fact Hannibal was sure to notice it.

“I tend to get up very early in the mornings due to my busy schedule, I tend to eat before the sun even rises.”

Will furrowed his brow a bit at that but opting not to say anything. _Did that mean he got up before I did? If so that meant he likely only got about an hour of sleep…_

 _He’s lying._ A much darker thought suddenly stated. 

Shaking his head to get rid of the thought, he jumped by a fraction when he noticed Misha staring at him from across the table. She smiled, putting a tiny finger to her lips as she snuck a piece of bacon under the table for Winston to snatch. He laughed, quickly mirroring her gesture before he noted Hannibal watching their exchange with a pleased expression.

“It’s quite the weather outside.” Alana suddenly interjected, taking a few tentative bites of her plate as she batted her eyes at the doctor. “Do you think we should worry about being snowed in?”

“Not to worry, We have plenty of supplies and food should such a thing happen. Though I am more concerned about the other pressing matter.” 

“The Chesapeake Woods Ripper.” Jack Murmured, straightening in his chair. “We need to come up with a plan in case this killer is caught and we somehow get stuck here for an indeterminate amount of time. Hannibal, would we be able to repurpose one of these rooms into a holding cell of sorts? Also, I spoke with you the other about the other people you've invited over, when will they be getting here? I didn't see them at the party.”

“I’m sure we can find one to your liking. Although I wish you did not talk about this in front of Misha.” Hannibal said with a hint of worry in his voice. The girl in question seemed too absorbed in devouring her bacon to really be paying attention. "As for your other question, they should be here sometime later this afternoon."

As Jack began to talk about the case and what they should do if they become trapped during the storm. Misha cheerfully talked to Will about her plans for the day, which included making an entire army out of snowmen. As he play-argued with her about the possibility of even being able to, Hannibal watched on with a small smile that filled the Empath with warmth. Will decided that, despite the strangeness. He didn’t mind it if it meant being in the company of this strange little family for a while longer…

………………………………………………

After breakfast, Hannibal watched as Jack managed to steer Will into another room where he believed the detective had most likely set up his files for the case. More than likely preparing to get Wills mind prepped with all the information they had about the killers motive. He sighed, annoyed at not being able to act sooner to occupy Will’s day somewhere away from the detective. If it was up to him, dear Will would never have to be in pain again...

_All in due time._

After a shared look with a very excited looking Misha, she quickly bounded out the door to go play outside in the snow, Winston following closely behind. 

_It would be very hard to separate them. Though it is good to have Misha be guarded so loyally._

“Are you doing anything today Hannibal?” Alana said from where she had slowly scooted closer to him at the table. Internally, he grew more irritated at the nonconsensual usage of his first name, but smiled at her all the same. 

“I’m afraid so, I’m inviting some guests over later who I believe have some relation to the ongoing case. You met one of them last night actually.” 

He watched her flush deeply. He knew she had been spirited away after the party by Tobias to ‘play’ with. Personally, he didn’t really care about it, but wanted to somehow keep Will from finding out. He knew of the Empaths lingering (and stubborn) feelings for the woman and wanted to avoid causing him any pain.

 _Lets just hope Tobias will behave himself at the very least._

“That’s a shame.” She pouted. “Who will the other guests be then?” 

“Some people from town who work with my family. Doctor Chilton, his apprentice Franklin who will be helping with the profiling as per Jack’s request. In addition to some of my more personal associates named Tobias and Margot who will be helping with... other matters.” 

“I know Chilton, he’s one of the few leading psychologists in Wolf Trap.” She pulled a face. “He’s not exactly… ethical, we’ve had a lot of arguments about his methods of therapy. He's the type who will let someone suffer just to see what happens to their brain so he can write a book about it.” 

“I am well aware. But he has assured me he will be on his best behavior.” He smiled, patting her hand in assurance. “Now, if you’ll excuse me Alana.” 

He moved to stand, stopping momentarily to kiss her hand before he made his way out into the hall. Francis followed closely behind.

“You seem to have made a new friend Dolarhyde.” He said once they were far enough away from prying eyes and ears. 

“He has been very kind to me sir.” Francis said, meekly ducking his head to avoid his piercing gaze. “I like speaking with him.”

“It’s a good thing to make friends Francis. There is no need to be so embarrassed.” 

“Apologies sir.” He stammered, putting a gloved hand up to his scarred face. “I have also noticed he has been looking much better as well, the food seems to be doing him much good.”

“I’ve noticed as well, poor Will must have been starving. We will be sure to feed him as much as he needs from now on, won't we?” Hannibal grinned, sharp teeth glinting in the light of the hallway. The Dragon smiled in turn, grin equally as deadly. 

“I have news sir, about Reba Graham.”

“Go on.” 

“She has been located in the very outskirts of your territory and has been apprehended. She should be here as early as tomorrow night.”

“Wonderful. I trust you have everything prepared to make her stay as pleasant as possible?” 

“Everything is as you prefer it sir.” The dragon said, a knowing look in his eye as he excused himself to get their ‘guests’ room ready. Hannibal smiled widely, already itching to confront the one who has wronged both him and Will. 

_In the meantime, I should perhaps rescue Will from our dear detective…_

He grinned at the memory of how Wills lips felt against his own, it was so hard to hold himself back when he accidentally broke skin with his teeth. A shudder ran through him at the thought of how sweet the Empaths blood tasted, how good it felt just to hold him close…

It pleased him to no end to know his feelings were reciprocated. 

_I can at least hold him in his dreams for the time being..._

He could tell Will was still shy about it though if his avoidance of eye contact at breakfast was anything to go by. He wasn’t worried though, he was a very patient man.

He ended up near the same balcony from last night as he walked, taking a moment to smooth his suit before he stepped out into the frigid winter air. He stood, bare hands on the freezing stone railing covered with snow as he stood impossibly still. Maroon eyes looking out into the endless forest before him with the calm reverence of a king. The wind outside began to pick up speed, turning the sky white with the fury of an oncoming blizzard.

Even still, Lecter did not move from his post.

After an indeterminate amount of time, he looked down.

Tobias and Margot were standing together in the snow, standing as still as himself and looking up at him expectantly. No footprints could be seen in the snow, as if they merely appeared there at the very thought of them.

He nodded once at them before turning to walk back inside, not even caring to observe the once again empty woods below him as he made his way back towards Will.

It was now time for the real event to begin.


	11. Alegorija

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alegorija= Lithuanian word for Allegory
> 
> I'm so excited for the upcoming chapters guys! Also, someone asked me if it was alright to do fanart and I say totally!! Art, stories, theories, you name it! Just be sure to tag it at the title of the story so I can easily find it. You guys are awesome I cannot believe how popular this story has gotten! Please leave a comment and tell me what you think.

Will was about ready to throttle Jack.

After breakfast, His boss had led him into a room he had repurposed as a makeshift office, already covered with case files and photos of the crime scenes. Will wondered when he had the time to do all this before he was basically forced to sit and go over everything in front of him.

_Let’s just hope Misha doesn’t wander in here..._

They had probably spent 4 hours going over every single crime scene in intricate detail by the time Will was considering homicide, Jack relentlessly drilled Will for any potential insight about the people at the party like a dog chewing on a bone. The Empath’s eye twitched periodically, a migraine the size of the other man’s head growing painfully in his skull the more Jack pestered him. 

_Does he think I can just reach through the photos and drag the killer out?_

“Alright, I’ll explain this one more time.” Will groaned, noting from a quick glance at the clock that it was almost noon. He briefly wondered if Hannibal had plans for lunch before turning back with a sigh. “The disappearances seem to have happened almost instantaneously. The only similarities the victims had in common was that they all happened to wander into the woods for some reason or another and never came out.” 

As Jack had so graciously reminded him. The Chesapeake Woods Ripper had claimed a total of 10 victims. All between their mid 20’s to early 60’s, all of varying backgrounds and careers. The only reason they even knew they were dead instead of just missing was the bloodied rags of shredded clothing and belongings that had been found at random when people went looking for their loved ones. 

One of the victims however stuck out to Will. 

Molly Arianda, roughly 36 years old and one of the main caretakers of Misha Lecter. She had disappeared in similar fashion to the others after going out into the woods to retrieve something the girl lost a few weeks ago. She was the third to disappear this month alone. Will stared down at her picture (The only one they had was provided by Hannibal. It depicted her smiling with a slightly younger Misha. Will stared at her mirthful face with a strange pang of sadness.) 

But what really stood out to Will wasn’t what they knew, it was what they didn’t.

Besides her name, there was little, if any information about her outside of what they knew from the crime. No friends, no family, Will highly doubted she even lived in town. No one seemed to know her, as if she didn’t exist. 

She sort of reminded him of his mother.

The only people knew anything seemed to be Hannibal and Misha. Which seemed too important for Will to ignore. He’d have to ‘interview’ both of them about any additional information they may have about her.

_Which, considering this family’s reputation, must be a lot._

As much as he liked the Lecters, the professional part of his brain couldn’t help but be a little suspicious of this whole situation. Since their family knew everything about everyone, it seemed strange that they didn’t know who the killer was at this point. (That and Hannibal didn’t seem to know about his… heritage.) _Maybe I'm just that good at hiding?_ It was a miracle Freddie Lounds of all people hadn’t found out yet at the very least.

Regardless, he hadn’t survived this long by ignoring his gut. 

“We’ll have to talk to Hannibal about what he knows of Molly’s last moments in his house. She seems to be the golden ticket to all this.” He said eventually, careful of his wording in case Jack became even more convinced of the Lecters involvement in the case. As suspicious as he was, he didn’t want to be pointing fingers this early into the investigation. 

That and he didn’t want to ruin his ‘relationship’ with the man just yet…

“You think she was the main target?”

“Not quite.” Will continued. “Out of everyone, she has no background that we know of. That and, considering the strange spike in activity this month by the killer. I feel that out of the recent three, she seems to be the most ‘unique’ out of the bunch. Perhaps the killer knew her and the other two? That or he’s getting sloppy...”

“Hmm.” Jack hummed, mulling over this new information. “If that’s the case, the Lecters may be more involved than they initially stated. We should ask him if he knew the other two as well. I’ll need you to look into the most recent three, It feels like we’re missing something there.”

“Are you thinking he’s the culprit?”

“At this point, yes. We don’t have any other suspects outside of him.”

Will didn’t like how that statement made him feel.

“I’m not so sure.” The Empath stated. “Molly seemed to be well liked by his sister. I don’t think he would have done anything like what you’re thinking to someone so close to his family. It seems that Molly’s disappearance was the main motive for him asking us here. The other victims are of little importance to him.”

That and anyone could tell just by looking at the doctor that he loved his sister immensely. Will doubted he would do anything to hurt her only friend. 

_Even still, that doesn’t mean he isn’t dangerous._ His tired brain supplied.

His thoughts were thankfully (and conveniently) interrupted by a light knocking at the door. 

Dolarhyde, ever formal, bowed as he slid his way into the room. “Apologies, I was asked to inform you that Doctor Chilton and his associates have arrived.”

“Great.” Jack scowled, clearly in an even worse mood at the mention of the other man's name. Will looked at him with a raised brow when Dolarhyde took his leave as quickly as he came.

“Doctor Chilton is an old acquaintance of mine. I had asked for his help with the case.” Jack explained. “I didn’t know he was bringing his lackeys.” 

“Lackeys? What kind of doctor is he?” Will could already tell he wasn’t going to like this guy.

“Don’t worry about it. Hopefully he’ll just leave before we’re all stuck together.”

Will highly doubted that considering how violent the snow storm had become outside. (He could practically feel the walls shake from the howling wind.) But didn’t say anything. Instead, he mulled over this new information with renewed dread.

 _Another doctor, of course there had to be more._

He didn’t like the thought of being snowed in with even more people. Especially since that meant the risk of being exposed was now far greater. He hoped the sheer size of this place meant run-ins would at least be kept to a minimum. 

As they put their files away and made their way out the door, he prayed to any deity that cared enough to listen that nothing terrible would happen.   
………………………………………………………………

“Doctor Chilton, what a pleasant surprise.” Will heard Hannibal say before they rounded the corner into the main lobby. “I was expecting you at the party last night. Who might your friends be?” 

_Friends?_

Three new faces turned to look at them when they walked in. A somewhat shrewd looking man who seemed to leak arrogance like oil. A rotund younger man who meekly followed behind him, and a woman with wild red hair who Will recognized with immediate disdain.

“Fan-fucking-tastic. Freddie’s here.” He grumbled, mood immediately souring when he noticed the reporter beam at him from where she was holding onto the arm of the shrewd man. She was obviously enjoying his discomfort. The look in Jack’s eye basically said ‘behave’ to the Empath before made his way over to the group. Will remained where he was standing. 

As Jack made his way to shake hands with the new guests, Will leaned against a nearby wall and hoped no one would be interested in talking with him. Hannibal eyed him curiously, obviously noting that something was bothering him, but was kind enough not to bring it up in front of the others. 

“Sorry we couldn’t make the party, I had some last minute work I had to take care of. This is my apprentice Franklin and my date for the evening Miss Freddie Lounds.” 

_By ‘date’ he probably meant his Blackmailer._ Will mused. He knew she was trying to publish her own novel, it would make sense she would find an ally who was just as slimy on the outside as she was on the inside. He could only imagine what the book was going to be about.

“Ah yes, I’ve read your articles. They’re rather colorful, I particularly like your crime-related stories.”

“Thank you.” She grinned, eating up the attention. “Though nowadays I mostly write about everyone's favorite crazy hermit.” She pointedly looked in Will’s direction, making all eyes turn towards him much to his dismay. 

“Is that so.” Hannibal continued, jaded tone only being noticed by Will. 

“Though currently I’m just covering the Ripper case, I’m here to update the outside world of any new suspects that come to light.” That earned a dark look from Jack. 

“Freddie, We’ve talked about this. You can’t tamper with an active crime scene or risk ruining evidence.” 

“I won’t get in your way Jack, just pretend I’m not even here.” 

_Fat chance of that._ Will held back the strong urge to roll his eyes.

She had the gall to wink at Will once Jack began talking to her escort.

The round one, Franklin, seemed awestruck at seeing a real-life Lecter up close like this. Openly ogling him as Hannibal began to escort everyone through his home. Will could feel Chilton eyeing him greedily from where he walked behind him. He recognized that look anywhere, it was the look of a man looking for fame. He’d seen the look plenty of times in his life by people trying to pick apart his brain to see how he ticked. 

They came across Alana a few moments later coming out of her room, clearly becoming agitated at the appearance of the infamous reporter. She cast pitying eyes towards Will before going over to greet Chilton. 

He subconsciously inched towards Hannibal without even realizing it.

“So Hannibal, I remember you telling me that two more people are supposed to join us today. Any idea when they may show up?” Alana said once all formalities were over with.

_Jesus fucking Christ._

“Tobias and Margot should be here by tonight. Though I do hope they don’t get stuck out there in the blizzard.” Lecter said, concern etching across his features. 

Will mused over this new information. Including himself, That would mean roughly 10 other people would be stuck here for potentially months on end. Meaning that, if he wasn’t careful, he would be discovered. It didn’t help that Freddie was a borderline stalker who already had a habit of snooping around his house. (Thank god his dogs knew to bark when they heard people outside.)

That and there's a high chance one of them is the Ripper.

_This just keeps getting worse and worse._

Hannibal seemed to notice his distress, turning towards him much to the dismay of Chilton. 

“Perhaps it is time we made our way to the dining room, I’ve already had a light lunch prepared as I'm sure the journey here must have exhausted everyone.” 

“I’m famished, lead the way Doctor.” Chilton was happy to agree, once again taking Freddie’s arm beside him. Jack's nose wrinkled like he smelled something rotten.

Once they made their way to the dining room, Will was somehow ushered to sit to the right of Hannibal’s seat at the head of the table once again. He really didn’t understand the significance of seating etiquette, but the way Alana did a double take as she sat next to him told him it was definitely strange. 

Chilton and Freddie sat directly Across from Will (of course) With a quiet Franklin seated at the corner, clearly upset he couldn’t be closer to their host. Jack sat at the other end of the table directly across from Hannibal, who remained standing so he could go grab the food.

“Where’s Misha?” Will asked when he noticed the lack of both toddler and dog. 

“She’s still outside with Winston, I’ve had Dolarhyde go out to keep an eye on her for the time being. She usually doesn’t eat lunch since she eats twice her weight at breakfast.” 

“I didn’t know you had a sister.” Freddie said, clearly interested in this tidbit of information. “Is she as charming as her brother?”

“I would say even more so, She’s hardly half a decade old and is already a master manipulator.” 

“That’s quite the age difference.” Chilton chimed in. the need to be the center of Hannibal's attention obvious to everyone in the room. “Your parents must have been quite young when they had you.” 

“I wouldn’t say that.”

“Where are the infamous Lecter family heads anyway? I thought they'd be joining us.” 

“They had some business elsewhere. They are rather busy people after all.” Hannibal said, turning to leave. “If you’ll excuse me.”

Once the main attraction was out of the room, Chilton leaned closer to Will, practically leering at him. 

“Will Graham was it? I’ve heard quite a bit about you and your… talents.” 

_Great._

“Will’s one of the most valuable assets to my team.” Jack was quick to say. “His ability to get into the heads of just about anybody is extremely important in understanding the criminal mind.”

Will didn’t like how Jack said ‘Valuable’ like he belonged to him. 

“That is indeed a unique ability. I myself was wondering about how such a brilliant mind such as yourself works.” Will frowned at this, already knowing where this conversation was headed.

_Here it comes…_

“If at all possible, I would very much like it if you’d be willing to be put under observation-”

“Sorry but my hands are full enough with the current case as it is.” He was quick to deny him. Watching as both Jack and Alana glared daggers at the doctors head. As much as he didn’t like how they treated him, he was grateful they were quick to come to his defense. 

“Yes, the elephant in the room. The Chesapeake Woods Ripper.” Freddie sighed, leaning back in her chair dramatically. “People are so afraid to go outside nowadays, it’s almost like your paranoid behavior is contagious.”

“Not as contagious as your need to feed into the town gossip.” Will glared daggers at her. “What was the name of your last article about me? _It takes one to know one?_ ”

“You’re still mad about that?” She batted her eyelashes at him slyly. “You have to admit, your behavior patterns indicate you’re hiding something.”

Will gripped his legs tightly to avoid saying something regretful. Alana noticed him tense and turned to berate the reporter. 

“That’s enough Freddie.” Alana practically growled, turning the red heads scrutinizing gaze onto her.

“I’m just saying, haven’t you ever thought that he might be-” 

“He might be what?”

All heads turned to the familiar sound of Hannibal's voice. The man in question pushing the food trolley into the room with a questioning look directed at the reporter. Chilton looked like he got caught doing something bad while Freddie beamed at their host. 

“It’s nothing important Doctor Lecter, we’re just talking about Mr. Graham.” She said, waving a hand dismissively in Will’s direction. The Empath saw the Doctors mouth twitch.

“It sounded important enough, I could hear you all from the kitchen. I would advise you not to cause conflict among the other guests during your stay.” 

The look he sent her way seemed to sober Freddie up somewhat from her usual smugness. A small frown etching her features briefly as Hannibal set the plates of food down. 

The food smelled wonderful once again, tenseness of the room quickly abated in favor of admiring the presented meal before them. Will’s own stomach clenched tightly at the smell.

_Where on earth does he get the time to make all this?_

“Smells wonderful.” Franklin practically moaned, Licking his lips as he glanced between the food and the one responsible for it. “What is it?”

“Porketta Roast accompanied with potatoes and carrots. Served with a rich red wine made in Florence. I’ve had it specially prepared during my stay some years ago.”

“You’ve been to Florence?” Will asked, not at all surprised that he was rich enough to travel.

“I had lived there for a time in my youth when I was studying medicine. It was truly one of the most extravagant places I have been in. Every building was a true work of art. I visited a wonderful orchard that my family owns there.”

“Sounds wonderful. I’ve never been out of Wolf Trap.” Will doubted he’d be able to tolerate the large crowds of such a populated city, but the thought of being somewhere where no one knew him did have it’s appeal. 

“Indeed, it’s truly a life changing trip. Now please eat before it gets cold.” Hannibal smiled, fond maroon eyes making Will feel warm as he fought back a smile of his own.  
…………………………………………..

The meal went pleasantly enough. Chilton talked about medical studies and surgical developments in recent years with Hannibal while Jack and Alana entered a heavy debate about the future of the town’s police department. (Alana apparently didn’t approve of Jack’s plans to eventually hire more people from the nearest city. But Jack was quick to point out there was only a handful of competent cops besides himself still living in Wolf Trap.) Freddie seemed content to listen to Chilton's raving for the moment while Franklin was all too happy to shove food into his mouth. Will was content to quietly pick at his food while occasionally answering questions Hannibal sent his way in an attempt to engage him in the conversation. 

“So I heard you are currently writing a book? Pray tell, what is it about? Unless you wish to keep it a surprise.” Got Will tuning back into the current conversation. He looked over to Freddie expectantly as he took a sip of his wine. As much as he hated her, he was a bit curious about it as well.

“Actually, we’re both writing novels at the moment.” Chilton said before Freddie could answer the question. She glared at him before turning back to Hannibal.

“I’m writing about the current Ripper case, I managed to get a publisher to agree to it because of how popular the topic is currently in town. You would not believe how many views my sites gotten once I started writing about it.”

“Indeed, it is a rather mysterious case.”

“One would even say it has the potential to become an urban legend in a decade or so.” She continued, glancing at Will. “I’ve already heard a few ghost stories based on it going around town. That and a few others…”

 _She’s probably talking about the ones involving me._ Will frowned, sipping some more of his wine. He was aware of the stories people told about him in passing, he heard a few that said he was actually a ghost haunting the woods. He wouldn’t be surprised if she had a hand in their creation.

“Speaking of.” Chilton chimed in. “I’m writing something in regards to our towns history. Particularly the legends involving fairies.”

Will choked on his wine, disguising it as a light cough as the light conversation around him instantly died. 

Chilton, noticing all eyes on him, straightened a bit in his chair before continuing.

“I should clarify. I am writing about how mental illnesses were treated much differently back in the day than they are in current years. In particular, how our towns history of fairies is an allegory of sorts that in actuality was the town's collective rejection of people with mental illnesses labeled as something entirely Other.” 

Will felt cold with dread. Keeping his hands on the wine glass before him to hide their trembling. Alana scoffed with disdain next to him.

“I’ve talked with you about this before Chilton. The people we called ‘fairies’ were just a nearby Cult of sorts. There's plenty of evidence which confirms their use of human sacrifices and cannibalism. There’s a better reason they were run out of town besides just ‘mental illness’.

“Cannibalism is considered a telling of mental disorders present. Or did you forget?” 

“A whole population of people don’t conform to eating each other just because they’re sick. People with mental disorders rarely become that violent.” Alana chided, clearly disgusted by the thought. “It’s more likely that it was a religious factor of sorts.”

“What if they actually were fairies?” Franklin said before Chilton could retort. A light laughter swept through the group, tension ebbing. Will didn’t so much as smirk, instead gazing into his diminishing wine so to avoid looking at anyone. 

When he glanced up, he noticed with a start that Hannibal was looking at him before he quickly turned to pick at his remaining food.

“Only children believe in such foolishness Franklin.” Chilton mocked. “Even if they did exist, I doubt they would have survived the modern day. They would have been discovered by now.”

“What about your collection? You spent a lot of money on that hobby of yours.” Freddie teased, flashing a smirk at her partner. Everyone watched as he turned beat red, clearly embarrassed.

“Collection?” Hannibal asked. “Of what?”

“He’s more interested in the fables than he lets on.” Freddie continued much to Chilton's dismay. “He’s got a bookshelf full of all sorts of research on the subject, that and he always carries a collage of all the evidence he’s found-”

“Those are for research purposes!” He yelled, bright as a tomato and glancing at Hannibal as he tried to explain himself. “I- I just happen to find the subject interesting enough to have bought samples over the years. That's all.”

“Samples?” Will asked once he trusted his voice not to shake as he spoke. “Of what?”

“He bought what he believes to be real pieces of fairy wings.” Franklin said cheerfully, glad the judgement was off of him for the moment. “They look pretty legit. But Freddie says they’re just butterfly wings.” 

“They totally are. No way someone would sell them that cheap.” Freddie said before taking a casual sip of her wine. She hadn’t touched the meat and instead had her plate piled high with the side dish.

“I spent thousands of dollars on-!” Chilton started before he realized everyone was staring at him again. “I mean, even if they are fake, they seem legit. I’ve had them tested and they don’t belong to any known breed of butterfly or moth.”

“I can’t believe I’m hearing this.” Will heard Jack moan, turning to see him rubbing at his temples. 

“Are you alright Will? You look a bit pale.” Alana whispered to him. He was quick to wave her off.

“I’m good, just coming down with something because of the weather.” 

“What do you think Will? You live out there, surely you’ve seen something.” Freddie said, turning the focus onto the Empath who was currently regretting his life choices. He noted how out of everyone, Hannibal was the only one who wasn’t smiling. Instead he looked at Will with a complex expression even the Empath couldn’t discern.

He cast his eyes down as he spoke. 

“If there is anything strange living out there, then I’ve never seen them.” He murmured after careful consideration over what he should say.

“That’s because you’re the strangest thing out there. One could even say the most suspicious.” Freddie was quick to say, earning a glare from everyone else at the table. 

“What are you implying?” He said, fighting back the urge to bolt from the room.

“All I’m saying is that it’s a bit convenient that you live in the very same woods that people are getting murdered in.”

“Lounds!” Jack yelled, clearly losing his patience.

Will decided he had enough food and stood to leave.

“Thank you for the meal Hannibal, it was delicious.” He turned to glare at the red head. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll take my strangeness elsewhere as I’m suddenly very tired..”

“Will-” He heard Alana start, but he was out of the room before he could hear her finish.

…………………………………………..

Hannibal knew he frightened people. In fact, he often counted on it as people tended to be more honest when scared. His subjects knew better than to make him angry.

Yet no amount of anger held even a candle to the raw rage he felt the moment he saw Will retreat from the room. But, ever the practical man, he breathed out a breath of calm before he turned to listen dispassionately as Alana yelled at Freddie.

He could care less about the heated words exchanged at his table. (Although he still felt his eye twitch at the incessantly rude behavior of his guests.) He felt grateful at the very least that Misha wasn’t present for this. Her little heart would be broken if she saw how people treated Will. 

_What to do, what to do, So many rude little humans in my home..._

Will’s terrified face was burned into his mind when the subject of fairies was brought up. His heart did a strange lurch when he saw the Empaths inner turmoil, as well as his closed off expression when he all but ran from the room. He wanted so desperately to go after him at that moment...

But he had to remain a good host to the doomed people at his table. 

He let a small smile form on his face as he patiently conversed with Chilton and Freddie, noting how Jack and Alana shared glances at the door and each other. He was glad that at the very least they seemed concerned for their ‘friend’.

As he talked with the reporter, He quietly wondered what he could make for dinner that would make his dear Will feel better...


	12. Šiluma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Šiluma= Lithuanian word for Heat
> 
> Wow this chapter had to get fixed a lot. Having so many characters with names starting with F (Franklin, Fredrick, Francis, Freddie) can get really confusing at times, I had to make a cheat sheet to keep track of them all. Whoever has made AU's before with all these characters in the same room has my absolute respect. Anyway, please leave a comment and tell me what you think!
> 
> Also, huge thanks to this great person https://i-l0v3-cl0wn5.tumblr.com/post/642561574990659584/idk-if-ive-already-posted-this-but-i-dont-think who did a lovely drawing of Will!

Will was incredibly lost.

In his anger, he hadn’t paid much attention to his surroundings when he stormed out of lunch. When he had finally calmed down enough to really pay attention he realized he was nowhere near where he thought his room was. The long hallways twisted and turned in such a way that when he tried to retrace his steps he couldn’t tell if he had been in a specific corridor before or not cause of the lack of pictures. He felt dizzy trying to make sense of the weird infrastructure and decided to just give up and let his feet take him wherever they went, quickly becoming lost in thought as he mulled over everything Freddie and Chilton said...

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed but wasn’t all that worried. He knew that at the very least either Hannibal or Dolarhyde would eventually come looking for him, so he opted to just enjoy the first moments of quiet he’d been able to get since arriving. The only sounds that could be heard were his muffled footsteps on the lush rug, as well as the howling wind from the snowstorm outside.

Eventually, he came across something different.

Down one of the halls stood two large ornate wooden doors that took up most of the wall. Looking at it, Will made out the intricate carvings that told a similar story to the one on the stained glass he saw when he first came here. Curiosity peaked, he pushed it open only to gape in awe of what he saw.

It appeared to be a very large research library of sorts. Tall shelves were stacked high with all sorts of topics from anatomy to psychology. He noticed a rather large Lancaster Globe situated in the middle of the room that he spun idly as he glanced around. Wheeled ladders were stationed on all sides and led to a small balcony that circled about halfway off the ground so you could walk along the upper shelves. The ceiling was high, probably the highest part of the manor if Will were to guess. It had criss-crossed arches made of what appeared to be marble, giving it the appearance of a Cistern. There was one large window off to his left that was tightly covered by a thick curtain that rattled softly with the wind. The occasional yellow glow of lightbulbs from lamps scattered around the room at various study desks gave it a very homey vibe. Will’s gaze quickly narrowed in on a couch that looked absolutely fantastic to sit in. He could already tell that, if he had permission, he would definitely spend most of his free time in here. 

He was hesitant to wander in too far into the library however, unsure if he was even allowed in here as of yet. 

_Next time I talk to Hannibal I’ll ask._ He decided, merely opting to glance at the contents of a shelf closest to the door.

He lost himself perusing the collection of books before him. There were only a few books there that he’d even heard of before (all relating to psychology of course). The others looked ancient and were strangely untitled. He brought up a hand to caress over the spines, pulling his hand back to rub the lingering dust between his fingers without much thought (The texture of the powder his wings gave off was pretty similar to it so his brain automatically turned a blind eye) And took in his surroundings with renewed curiosity when he noticed the lack of dust everywhere else.

_Odd, the rest of this place is damn near spotless…_

Feeling bold, he took one of the untitled books off the shelf to inspect. Ignoring the dust that thinly coated his fingers as he held it aloft, opening it to a random page where he saw-

“Mr. Graham? Is that you in there?”

The Empath nearly dropped the book in his surprise, accidentally slicing his finger open on a sharp page. Turning his neck, he was surprised to see Misha standing at the threshold of the library doors, surprisingly lacking Winston at her side. She looked at him with what he read to be worry.

“Hey Misha, How have you and Winston been? Did you get to meet the new guests?” He smiled, putting the book back and attempted to wipe his hands free of any lingering dust (He curled his wounded hand into a fist to hide it) before he walked over to where she was standing. Misha watched his movements with a strange intensity, her gaze lingering on his closed fist with wide eyes. 

“Yeah, 'Annibal said Winston should go in my room while Franklin's out, he's allergic…” She looked away. “He and his friends don’t seem that nice.” 

Will nodded in agreement before walking over to her. 

“It’s a good thing you found me, I got a bit lost and ended up in here.” He smiled, watching as her strange demeanor was quickly replaced with her usual cheeriness.

“This is Dad’s study. I’m not allowed in here cause it’s got ‘bad books’. Wanna go see my stuff instead?” She smiled, looking between him and the books she was forbidden to touch.

_Bad books? Does she mean graphic or something?_

“Sure. Lead the way little lady.” He laughed, gesturing her out into the hall as he closed the door behind him. He offered his unwounded hand politely, but laughed at the look on her face when she saw the dust lingering on them. 

“Did you touch one of his books?” She asked. 

“Only one, I put it back though. Is no one allowed in there or just you?”

“I dunno.” She trailed off before nudging him to start walking ahead of her. He wached as she glanced worriedly at the door before she walked quickly back to his side. “But I think ‘Annibal will let you if you ask.”

“Maybe later.”

………………………………………………

They eventually made their way to what looked to be a smaller, more ‘lived in’ Library. 

Where the first library Will was in seemed endless, this one was large enough for about four people to read in comfortably without it feeling too cramped. There were three dark red lounge couches near each wall cushioned by an equally colored carpet. Each corner was illuminated with hefty-looking lamps that gave off a comfortable glow to make up for the lack of windows. Will suspected this room was most likely repurposed from its original use. 

He could tell Misha frequented this room often, there was a sort of makeshift nest off to one side of the room piled high with childrens books. As well as a huge bean bag that Misha nearly sank completely into when she suddenly ran ahead of him and dove straight into. He laughed at the sight before making his way over. 

The wound on his hand was thankfully shallow enough that it had already stopped bleeding, but it stung every so often when he moved it. 

“Can you read this for me? ” She asked once he sat in one of the lounge chairs across from her, Offering Will one of the many discarded novels with an uncharacteristic shyness. “I can’t read it by myself yet.”

“Sure, What’s it about?” He aske, Opening it to where he noticed a bookmark was nestled. It was a long silver ribbon with an elaborate ‘M’ engraved on it.

“It’s called _‘The Sisters Grimm’_ , it's a series about two sisters living in a town of fairytale creatures. Molly got it for me.” She said in a quiet voice, snuggling further into the bean bag. Will frowned, feeling Misha’s sadness over the loss of her friend needle through the thick protective exterior of his heart. 

“Did she read for you?” 

“Yeah.”

“...”

Will had two options here, he could either pursue this line of dialogue to get more information about Molly, Or he could be more sympathetic. 

He decided on the latter. 

_I'll just leave the Bad Cop stuff to Jack._

“Do you remember where she left off?” He knew he picked the right thing to say by how brightly she smiled at him. 

“Yeah! The sisters had just met Bluebeard when…”

They ended up talking about Mr. Buckley’s book for a good while before Will got around to actually reading it. He was a bit surprised at how dark the story would get at points but Misha didn’t seem to mind, instead listening with wide eyes as she curled up in her bean chair. Will was once again surprised at how trusting she was of him, watching as her eyes progressively became droopier and eventually passing out entirely. He cleared his throat, which had become dry before closing the book and stretching.

“I take it a break is in order?”

He turned to see Hannibal lounging against the doorframe, watching with contentedness practically radiating off of him. Will’s cheeks burned when he realized the Doctor must have been listening to him read.

_How long was he there for?_

“Sure… What time is it?” Will said eventually, standing up and walking to where Hannibal was stationed by the door. 

“A little past 8, I was looking for you for a while before Dolarhyde informed me Misha was with you. Tobias and Margot arrived some time ago and are currently in the study if you wish to meet them.”

_Shit, Francis saw me too?_

Will turned away, embarrassed. Quickly bringing a hand up to rub the back of his neck as he thought of what he should say. 

“Sure… if you think I’ll be good company after what happened earlier.” 

Hannibal’s mouth twitched slightly at that before he took a step forward into Will’s personal space. Before the Empath could react the doctors hand was on his cheek. 

“Not to worry, Freddie and her companions have decided to retire early for the evening, they did have a long trip after all. That and I’ve found I’ve been missing your company.” 

“Oh...:” Will didn’t know what to say to that, his mind already flatlining at the light touch. The Doctors hunger, while intense, didn’t feel as overwhelming as the previous times he touched him. Instead leaving an almost pleasant burn beneath his ribs that made his face warmer than before. 

Hannibal must have read something in his face as his eyes softened affectionately when Will gathered enough bravery to look directly at him. They both knew what was coming and returned the kiss with as equal fervor as the other. 

Hannibal pushed him back till he was flush with one of the bookshelves. Bringing up his other hand so that he was properly cupping Will’s face with surprising strength. Will in turn brought a hand up to cup the back of the doctors neck, pulling him in closer and deepening the kiss. Hannibal's teeth lightly scrapped his bottom with just enough force that it was almost painful, but Will only pressed closer to him in answer.

Eventually, they both came up for air. Will gasped as Hannibal used the opening to kiss at his neck. Sending sharp jolts of pleasure when he felt just the tiniest swipe of his tongue against his sensitive skin.

_Shit this is nice… Wait, didn't I have a dream about something similar happening?_

“H-Hold on.” He stuttered, bringing a hand up to the others chest. Though if it was to push him away or pull him closer he couldn’t say. “Misha will…”

“Not to worry, the manor could blow up right now and she won't so much as stir.” Hannibal said, the shape of his smile tickling against Will’s neck. 

They were once again lost in one another for what like an eternity. Hannibal’s tongue had found its way back into his mouth, making him melt against him. Everything felt so warm, Will was amazed at how warm another person could be. It was quickly becoming addicting. His arms snaked their way around the other mans shoulders and moaned at the feeling of closeness to another. Hannibal's body was lean, practically supporting his weight against the shelf at the points of contact. One of the doctors hands made its way to his hip, but unlike the first time they kissed the hand stayed above his shirt. Respecting the previous boundary set in such a way that Will felt strangely moved by it. 

The sound of voices in the hallway was what separated them. Hannibal composed himself with such elegance it made Will envious. He made to smooth his curls when the Doctor bent down to whisper in his ear.

“If it’s alright with you Sweet William, I would like to continue this conversation sometime soon. Come meet me in the parlour when you’re ready to meet the others. For the time being, I should put Misha to bed.”

Will brought up a hand to hide his flustered face. He heard Hannibal laugh lightly before feeling him lightly kiss his injured hand before he gently picked up a sleeping Misha before he walked out of the room to greet the people outside, who he recognized to be Jack and Alana. Will didn’t so much as breathe till he heard their footsteps fade down the hall.

_They must be looking for me…_

Still, he made no move to leave until he felt his composure return. Small aftershocks still shuddered down his spine occasionally, his skin still tingled at the lingering sensations of touch. 

His legs shook slightly once he eventually made his way out into the hall. Surprised when he recognized where he was in the manor.

_Guess Misha helped me out in more ways than one._

He opted to head back to his room for now to grab his phone and give his wings a chance to stretch for a while. Due to the storm, he knew he had to call Bev as soon as possible to figure out what to do with the rest of his dogs before he lost the signal. 

_Knowing Bev, they’ll be fine at her place for a while…_

Still, he couldn’t help feeling uneasy, though about what he was still unsure. 

Something was just... off. But he couldn't figure out what it was just yet.

……………………………………………………...

Freddie knew people didn’t like her.

She was no stranger to hate letters from resentful spouses who’s infidelity she exposed to the public, nor did she ignore the glares occasionally sent her way when she walked through town after publishing another scandal. 

But she was a professional, anger and resentment rolled off her like water on a ducks ass. Still, it didn’t hurt to be always prepared for the worst, like that time one of her ex's tried to break into her house. Though it wasn't the most extreme thing they tried to do...

Which was why, once she was able to shake off her overly clingy date, she made sure to hide her purse-sized revolver in her shoulder bag before she left to snoop. Tucking it snugly next to her tape recorder that she also carried for spur of the moment interviews. She was so lucky that her stuff wasn’t searched when she first came in by that Francis guy. She felt nothing but bad vibes from the disfigured butler and immediately decided to avoid him at all costs. 

_I wouldn’t be surprised if he had a few literal skeletons in his closet…_

Still, she prided herself at being a great judge in character is not anything else. She knew that despite how shady he was, he wasn’t her intended target...

No, She was here for one reason and one reason only, to get more intel about the Chesapeake Woods Ripper. Freddie had heard from Chilton that he and his assistant had been invited to the Lecter estate (Meaning that he all but bragged about it one night over dinner. As disgusted as she was by him she had to admit he was pretty convenient for getting places.) and convinced him to bring her as his plus one. 

_Who knows? Maybe I can figure out what the hell's going on with Graham while I'm here too. Two birds with one stone..._ She could practically taste the book offers if she managed to pull this off. Which, she'd admit, would be pretty difficult considering who she had to deal with.

She knew as soon as she stepped through the door that Hannibal was immensely displeased at her being there. _I did invite myself along after all. And he seemed to be making goo goo eyes at Will for whatever reason._ So she knew seduction wasn’t likely. The two strange people who came after them (Tobias and Margot?) didn’t seem all that thrilled to see her either. Though she couldn't remember if she did anything to them in the past to warrant such a reaction. _I do have a lot of enemies after all._

Which was why she decided to wait till everyone excused themselves to wander out into the hall. 

Freddie made it a few feet out before she realized she was being followed. 

She felt a sharp pang of dread fall into the pit of her stomach, causing her to unintentionally quicken her pace down the winding hall, hand already diving into her purse to fish for her weapon. 

“Miss Lounds? If I may have a word.” A deep voice said behind her.

She sighed, relieved once she recognized the voice to belong to Tobias. He was a rather handsome fellow who supposedly taught violin lessons somewhere in town with his partner (Though she couldn't really remember if such a store was in Wolf Trap or not). He had friendly brown eyes that glinted orange in the right light. His partner, A rather cold woman named Margot Verger, seemed his exact opposite. She had all but openly scowled at Freddie as soon as they arrived, all but beelining for a rather surprised Alana and conversing with her for a time, apparently they had hit it off at the party Freddie missed because Chilton just HAD to pack what felt like his entire house into his expensive bags. _And they say women always pack too much stuff when they travel..._ Jack ended up going right back to his case files as soon as lunch ended, _Boring as ever..._ Freddie didn't even bother to look for him just yet in favor of trying to finding Will’s room (Which she was having serious difficulty doing for some reason, whoever designed this place was an asshole). 

“Of course, What is it?” She said sweetly, flashing her most charming smile at the sharply dressed man before her.

“I’m something of a fan of your work, especially in regards to the rumors surrounding a certain Hermit in our midst.”

“You mean Will Graham?” Freddie asked, intrigued why someone like him would be interested in that freak. _This should be interesting._

“The very same. In fact, I hope you don’t mind if I ask you some things about him?” He moved a bit further into her personal space with the same airless grace she saw Lecter move earlier. _Do pretentious people just move differently?_

“May I ask why?”

“And ruin the surprise?” His smile turned cold. “Let’s just say there are certain things I want to confirm about his...abilities.” 

Freddie knew an opportunity to get an IOU when she saw it. 

“Alright. But only if I get to ask you some questions about Doctor Lecter in turn.”

“Ah, a Quid Pro Quo then.” Tobias laughed warmly, but something in his face left Freddie feeling weirdly anxious. “Ms. Lounds, I like the way you think.”

Freddie resisted to roll her eyes at the blatant attempt at flirting, instead arranging a flirtatious smile of her own. Not once thinking about the date she came with. 

_He’s probably busy looking at his precious butterflies anyway…_

She took the arm Tobias offered with little hesitation, making sure to sling her bag (and gun) onto her other shoulder so her free arm could reach it. He seemed pleased at her compliance, easily ushering her further down the hall faster than she could blink. A shiver went through her when he subtly leaned in to whisper into her ear. Though if it was from fear or arousal she couldn’t say.

“Tell me Ms.Lounds, do you like music?”


	13. Beprotybė  iš Dviejų

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> beprotybė iš dviejų= Madness of Two
> 
> Wow! over 10,000 people have read this little story of mine, that's awesome! Please leave me a comment and tell me what you think of the story so far as well as any theories you may have!
> 
> Also, i'm thinking of starting a new hannigram story after this one ;)

If there was one thing Hannibal could appreciate, It was being able to have meaningful conversations with someone without saying a word. 

Margot was one such person. Unlike their mutual associate Tobias who prided himself in eloquent wording and soliloquy, she could get her point across with just a look, a slight bodily movement, or a twitch of the corner of her mouth. Hannibal, an expert in nonverbal communication, kept up with her just fine.

They were having one such discussion now. While Tobias was elsewhere (Likely ‘playing’ with one of the guests) He and Margot were sitting directly across from one another in front of the parlour fireplace. It was late, roughly half past ten or so, and the storm only seemed to get worse if the howling wind was any indication. No words were spoken for a time, both content to do their own thing (Hannibal was finishing up one of his sketches while Margot stared contemplatively into the fire). Only occasional eye movements and rolling of shoulders sent messages that they both learned to do from years of ‘friendship’. Truth be told, Besides Will and Clarice, Margot was one of the few other beings Hannibal could truly enjoy being around. She seemed to tolerate him in turn.

_I did help her kill her brother after all._

Eventually, Margot asked what he knew had been burning her since the night of the party.

“I want her.” 

Hannibal looked up from his sketch with mild interest. It wasn’t often that the Verger spoke of her desires so directly.

“I thought Tobias wanted her,”

“Tobias changed his mind, I however have not.” She leaned forward, manicured hands delicately clasped over her knee. “I like her.”

Hannibal hummed, contemplating. While it was a surprising change, it didn’t really affect things in the long run. So, after what he deemed an appropriate amount of time, he nodded.

“Then she is yours.”

Margot’s shoulders slumped microscopically, relief obvious to a trained eye such as his. 

“Thank you.” Verger’s smile was all teeth, both beautiful and achingly deadly. If things had been different, Hannibal might have fancied her like he had Clarice when they were younger.

_Though Starling makes a far greater ally than partner in that regard, that and she’s pretty enamored with the Lass girl. Not to mention his rapidly growing interest in a certain Empath..._

Speak of the devil and he shall appear, as soon as the thought of Will slipped through his thoughts, (As they often had these days) The lovely creature entered the room after a light knock. Lecter saw Margot turn to the newcomer curiously, this would be the first time she would see Graham in person after all.

“Good evening Will.”

“Hannibal.” He nodded, thin smile on his face waning when he noticed the other person in the room. Hannibal watched as his previously lax posture straightened. “Hello.”

“This is Margot Verger, an old friend of mine who will also be with us till the snow melts.” 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Mr. Graham, I’ve heard a lot about you.” 

Will’s face wrinkled a bit at that, obviously displeased at the notion that people talk about him, but he politely nodded in her direction all the same. 

“Likewise, is Tobias not joining us?” 

“I’m afraid he is otherwise occupied at the moment.” 

“Hmm.” Will didn’t seem to know what to do with himself, making his way over to the bookcase and perusing the collection there. Hannibal had to hold back a smile to instead wink in response to the confused look Margot gave him. 

“Were you at the party? I don’t remember seeing you there.” Will continued, caressing the spine of a book idly, the doctor suppressed a shiver.

“I was, though I spent most of my time elsewhere.” She supplied, not entirely a lie. Will nodded, as though she said something he agreed with, and turned to face her.

“You don’t like the noise.” 

The confused look turned to one of surprise. She blinked, quickly resetting her face quickly to her usual neutral expression, Hannibal realized why when he noticed Will was also watching her movements, moving subtly to mirror her posture with his arms and added movements of his own, perhaps not even realizing he was doing it.

He could read her body language.

“No, I don’t.” 

“Can’t say I’m exactly a big fan of crowds either.” 

Something was communicated between the two that seemed to put them on the same page. Hannibal suspected that, with time, the two would become close friends.

He closed his sketchbook with a grin. Luckily, Will hadn’t looked over at what he was drawing.

“Are you two hungry? It seems everyone else has gone off to do their own thing for the night.”

“Sure, Jack hasn’t tracked me down just yet so I’m not that busy.” 

“Hmm.” Hannibal made a conformational noise, standing to usher both quests towards the door. Will walked over slowly, waiting till Margot also stood so he could walk alongside her out the door. She smiled, clearly pleased by whatever she had learned about the empath in their small exchange. As they all walked through the hallway together, she made sure not to touch the Empath accidentally, already made aware of his condition due to previous conversations Lecter had had with her. Will took note of it of course, and sent Hannibal a look of both confusion and gratitude at the unspoken respectful distance. Will was even to get a rare laugh out of her as they ate.

_What a kind boy…_

………………………………………………………

The next few days went by without much incident. 

Jack and Will worked endlessly on putting a profile together of the killer but were hitting a brick wall much to his boss’s frustration. Alana would help occasionally but had gotten into the habit of arguing with Chilton so much that she was otherwise occupied with her own work. 

Freddie was (Thankfully) too busy snooping to harass him just yet, she seemed hellbent on getting Hannibal alone for an interview, something that he somehow kept avoiding with damn near genius aversions and dodging. (Will was certainly jealous of his persuasive way with words). Franklin and Chilton seemed just as desperate to earn Lecter’s interests, Chilton kept asking him to be a cowriter for his book and constantly begged him to allow him to write a hearty section of the book about his families influence over the town to no avail. Franklin had developed an obvious (to Will at least) crush on Hannibal and would follow him around like a lost puppy when he wasn’t with Chilton. 

Speaking of, Chilton seemed to be taking an interest in Will himself. He could always feel his eyes on him whenever they were in the same room together. He hadn’t gone out of his way to talk to the Empath just yet, but he suspected it was only a matter of time until he did. Will counted his lucky stars that he hadn’t caught him in a room alone as of yet. The guy gave him the creeps for multiple reasons.

_That guy Tobias didn’t seem that different either…_

After that dinner with Margot, they had ended up running into the man out in the hall. They exchanged formalities like usual and he was nothing if not polite. But Will didn’t like his eyes, they were dark like a sharks with a smile equally as predatory. That and the emotions he had gotten off of him weren’t doing him any favors. Where Hannibal was a burning fire, Tobias seemed to be an empty void. It made the Empath wary to get too close else he’d get sucked in. Franklin, ever oblivious, had become quick ‘friends’ with the strange man.

Despite that, his days weren’t all bad. 

When he wasn’t working on the cases with Jack and Alana or spending his evenings with Hannibal. He had opted to spend his free time in the large library he had come across. (He had spoken about it with Hannibal at dinner one night and he said it was okay for him to be in there as long as Winston wasn’t, there was a lot of fragile stuff in there so Will couldn’t really blame him.) Occasionally, Dolarhyde would join him for a time and the two would discuss various topics. Will found out the butler had an immense love for art as well as hunting, (He seemed delighted in his own quiet way when he learned Will was an avid fisherman) they had talked for hours about fishing and the most effective ways of lure making. 

Besides the library, he would also spend his time in the parlour with either Hannibal and Margot (Will had found her quiet nature immensely comforting in contrast to the barrage he would suffer through thanks to the others.) or in the smaller library with Misha and Winston. The Toddler had made Winston his own ‘spot’ out of pillows and an old blanket so he could sleep next to her. Will could tell the two were almost inseparable when they went for walks together, Winston had become just as protective of her as he was of him. 

The only times Will was truly by himself was when he was in his room. Taking great joy in stretching his wings out whenever he got the chance to. Being able to warm them to thoroughly in the warmer shower and room also helped with his aching muscles. The feel of the expensive sheets against them was almost divine. They haven't given off any powder whatsoever since he started sleeping here. He didn't know if he should be worried or not. _Maybe it's a sign I'm getting healthier? I have been eating a lot more food here._

Of course, he always made sure to double check the lock on his door before he relaxed. 

He wasn’t too happy about how his door couldn’t be locked when he left the room since he didn’t actually have a key (and didn’t want to ask for one). So he took to hiding his more questionable possessions like the spare binders and permanently blue stained towels in the bathroom. Hopefully out of reach of anyone looking to snoop, ie, a certain red headed reporter...

But for now, he was content with the passage of days, he had Winston with him to help with homesickness as well (On the call with Bev, she assured him the rest of his pack would be well taken care of till he came back) so he felt he could endure being around others. For now, his secret was safe and no one had disappeared yet, It seems the Ripper is lying low for the moment.

Of course, things tend to change when we least expect them to.

……………………………………………

Will had just about had it with this case. 

He had gone over the three missing people of most interest; Molly being the most obvious answer, the other two were named Garret Hobbs and Barney Matthews. Hobbs was a well known drunk whose daughter disappeared some odd months ago as a previous Ripper victim. Barney was a quiet, kind man who was a night guard at the local mall. Barney and Molly struck out to Will for some reason, they just didn’t seem to fit the Rippers type. (Earlier inspection of the previous victims indicated they were all either criminals or generally unliked for some reason or another.) But from what he could see, Barney and Molly hadn’t done anything wrong.

Something was off. The additional information of what kind of people the most recent three disappeared were, as well as how the previous month had turned up two extra victims just wasn’t fitting together…

_Unless…. They don’t._

_Holy shit._

Will’s eyes widened, bolting upright from his seat in the library, book quickly forgotten. He all but ran from the room as he racked his brain for where Jack could be this early in the morning. They had all just eaten breakfast not even 2 hours ago. He might be in the parlour with A-

He turned the corner a little too sharply, colliding right into a large torso that quickly grabbed his arm to prevent him from falling backwards. A heady surge of void emotions told him it was Tobias. 

_I really gotta stop fucking doing that…_

“Mr. Graham?” 

“Hello Mr. Budge.” Will muttered, straightening his posture and putting a respectable distance between them. Tobias smiled, tilting his head to look down at the smaller man with obvious amusement. Will fidgeted under the gaze, crossing his arms and looked down at the floor. He heard Tobias hum in response. “Sorry about that, I’m just on my way to see Jack.”

“I see, I’ll come with you then. It is rather easy to get lost in here without a companion.”

“That won’t be necessary.” Will said a bit too quickly to be polite. “I know where it is.”

"Very well. Though I have been meaning to talk to you later if you don't mind." 

"Fine, later."

He left without waiting for a response, feeling Tobias’s eyes on him as he went around him to continue down the hall. It took a lot of willpower not to turn around to make sure he wasn’t following him.

………………………………………..

“There are two killers.”

Jack looked up in surprise from where he was glancing over photos of Hobbs. 

“What did you just say?”

“I was right in my observation that the recent influx of victims was strange. Initially, we suspected the killer was either escalating his efforts or he was getting sloppy. But what if we were looking at this at the wrong angle?”

“All the victims were taken in the exact same way. All their personal belongings were untouched and bloody.” Jack argued, clearly growing displeased at this new possibility.

“But the people themselves contrast vastly. Every previous victim had some past involvement in violence or criminal activity. But only one of the previous three fit that description.”

“Garret Jacob Hobbs.” Jack growled, fists crumpling the photos in a vice like grip. “God damn it.”

“The other two. Molly and Barney were described as kind people, they had no reason to become targets unless-”

“Unless it’s a different killer entirely.” Jack continued, working through his own train of thought. “A copycat killer.”

The silence that followed made Will’s ears ring in its intensity, an obvious yet terrifying fact was shared between the two men without a word.

_We are snowed in with more than one killer._

He waited, standing awkwardly as he watched Jacks brain reorganize information. Eventually, he broke the silence.

“For our sake Will, I’m really hoping you're wrong.”

Will’s mouth twisted into a sad smile.

“Me too.”

………………………………………………..

The Lecter manor was as dangerous as it was old. Countless hidden rooms and secret doors that led to nowhere were so common in nearly every inch of the place that not even Freddie could figure out where the hell they led.

She had scoured nearly every inch of the main rooms for any sort of clue about the mystery of their esteemed host but to no avail. She couldn't find the guy’s room, when she tried tailing him back for future reference one night he had just… stopped being there when she followed him around a corner. It was… strange.

_Then again, he’s not the only weird one here. ___

__After her rather ‘interesting’ talk with Tobias, he had led her into what appeared to be his room. At first, she thought he was about to put a move on her and made to reach for her gun. But strangely, he had only requested looking at her hands. He told her of how you tell a lot about a person by how their hands looked. They talked for a while about music and she ended up telling him of everything she knew about Will Graham._ _

__Out of everything they had spoken about, Will was the subject he seemed to have the most interested in. She had, against her better judgement, spilled the beans about how he lived by himself in the woods, how he had no living family. She even told him about the weird anomalies she had found in his house whenever she had broken in like the lack of family photos and the weird blue stains on his bed sheets._ _

___Why am I telling him all this?_ _ _

__Once he seemed satisfied with his questions, he asked if he could play for her._ _

__He had brought a ancient looking, but very well taken care of Cello with him (Freddie didn’t see anything else that could be his in the room) and after a quick tuning, the strangest music she had ever heard flooded the room, the melancholic notes pulling something from her until-_ _

__She couldn’t remember what happened after that._ _

__When she regained a sense of her surroundings, she realized she was stumbling around one of the many hallways, Tobias wasn’t anywhere to be seen. She still had her bag with her though and her and a quick search showed her everything was still in its place, gun included. _Did he fucking drug me?_ Her head felt hazy, making her lean against a nearby wall to try to gain her bearings, dimly, she noted there was a painting against it, something with a swan and a lady. But before she could properly look at it, the wall gave way under her weight, sending her toppling into the abyss..._ _

__Coming to, She could feel the dampness of the old stone beneath her, as well as a slight draft that had her looking around in the darkness. She pulled out her phone, turning on the light to scour the walls for any sort of entrance._ _

__To her surprise, she saw a small winding staircase leading into the darkness below. She couldn’t tell how far down it went, but could feel a moderate breeze that told her there was a rather spacious room below._ _

__She looked back at the main hall, torn. She could either go back and get Jack so they could look as a group, or she could get some juicy secrets for potential future articles. That, and she felt damn near compelled to go, like something was pulling her in..._ _

___I have my gun and phone with me, I can always call him if I get caught._ _ _

__Mind made up, she mentally created various excuses as to why she came in here should anyone find her, and made her way down the steps.  
................................................................._ _

__The stairs winded down pretty far, so far in fact that there was a noticeable dampness in the air as she breathed out puffs of cold air. It was considerably colder down here, it made her reconsider at least going back for a jacket._ _

___But I’m already so far down, does this lead into the mountain?_ _ _

__Her question was answered for her when she reached the bottom of the steps, she had ended up in a small opening with a old wooden door nestled snugly into the wall. She noticed it was open slightly and, ignoring the part of her telling her she should leave, opened it._ _

__Opening the door, she gasped at what she saw. There was another small passageway that was lit on either side by torches, the walls themselves looked as though they had been carved away by a large animal, deep claw marks scoured the stone in countless areas. The smell of blood was strong, but that’s not what caught her attention._ _

__No, what made her gasp was the young woman chained down in a small cell at the very end of the passage._ _

__“Holy shit. I knew this guy was a freak.” She whispered, pulling out her gun and double checking the area she was just in to make sure no one was lying in wait for her. Turning back, she made her way further in, gun at the ready._ _

__The woman looked as though she had been down here for days, fresh wounds caused by the struggle against the chains littered her arms and legs. She was wearing what looked to be a running suit. _Maybe she was out jogging?_ Her arms were handcuffed behind her, which in turn was embedded into the wall behind her. She was blindfolded, but very much awake, snapping her head up at the sudden commotion Freddie had made in her descent. _ _

__“H-hello? Who’s there?”_ _

__“Shit, hold on.” Freddie knelt near the iron bars so she could remove her blindfold. “I’m Freddie, Who are you?”_ _

__The woman was probably the same age as her, late twenties to early thirties probably. Her hair was a dark and wild mess of curls that cascades down to the cell floor. Her eyes were a striking blue that looked familiar for some reason. Her eyes darted around her cell before landing on Freddie's face._ _

__“You’re a human aren't you?” The woman asked looking hopefully at her. Freddie’s brow rose at this, the lady must be delirious._ _

__“Yeah? How long have you been down here?”_ _

__“I- I don’t know, a few days maybe? I had to run a few errands out of town for a little while and was just on my way home when-” She was interrupted by her own sobbing. “I- I have to get home, my son is-”_ _

__“Hold on, I’ll try to find a key.” She looked around the cell for any sign of it but to no avail. She then turned to eye the lock. It was old and rusty, but she could probably lockpick it given time. In the meantime, she began to ask the other woman questions in the hopes of calming her down._ _

___Who knows, when I get her out we can probably get a book deal once that freaks behind bars._ _ _

__“Why did Lecter kidnap you?”_ _

__The woman grew eerily still at this, blue eyes bugging in horror and growing understanding._ _

__“Lecter? I’m in the Lecter manor? Oh gods-” Her struggles began anew. “Get me OUT, GET ME OUT _RIGHT NOW!”_ _ _

__Freddie opened her mouth to tell her to keep her voice down when she was suddenly grabbed from behind, gun knocked out of her hand. Her muffled screams were quickly silenced when she felt something prick her neck and she slipped off into unconsciousness._ _

__Under the gaze of a petrified audience, Hannibal Lecter gently laid a now limp Freddie Lounds onto the floor before wiping off nonexistent dust off of his expensive clothing. Only when he was satisfied with his musings did he give the woman his attention._ _

__“Hello Reba Graham.” He spoke in a false soothing voice that left the woman shaking in her efforts not to scream._ _

__

__“I believe it’s about time we had a chat.”_ _


End file.
